Fall of a Dragon, Rise of a Lion
by Assassin Black
Summary: Sir Richard of Wayrest has risen to the epitome of what a human could achieve, following Talos himself in achievement and the spirit of a mortal living on Nirn. He has surpassed what was he has been given and moved on to finishing what was started centuries before: Conquest of Tamriel to unite them under a single rule. Will it come to pass or be thwarted before it can even start?
1. Prologue

The date is the Third Century, Year 209, of the Fourth Era. Sir Richard of Wayrest sat upon his bejeweled throne, listening to the arguments to his latest decision. It was not something to be taken likely or be decided by oneself, but Richard would not be swayed from what he thought was right. Mistakes were made in many generations by many others but that did not stop them from doing what they believed would help the land they lived on prosper more. His lighter grey eyes moved from one man to the other, the rest of him staying still. Not even his red, flat hair moved at all.

"That doesn't make this right! Just because it is the simplest way does not mean it won't have lasting consequences!" A man in a very ornate outfit made of the finest of materials and many gold details spoke loudly, his nature forcing him to do so during arguments. The Breton had a lightly aged face with facial hair of an older man, but his voice hasn't faltered over the years of service.

"You cannot tell me one time change came without war and I believe in my Lord to put my life in his hands. I will stand behind every one of his decisions." The other man that stood opposite of the diplomat dressed in gold wore an outfit that would stand out no matter where he was. It was a bulky suit of ebony with steel layered for added protection. It showed wear, but it was just as effective as the day it was forged. As was proper while not in battle, his helmet was not worn to reveal a much more aged looking man than who he was arguing with. He was a Nord with a well-groomed and thick beard that looked thicker than the thin layer of hair that covered his head.

"Soldiers don't know anything about politics. I don't know why I'm trying to convince your thick head. My Lord, can we talk about this first?" The advisor gentleman turned away from the seething warrior and stepped towards Richard.

"I have thought about this for decades. I will be the one to bring all of Tamriel together, but I will not use only violence. Does that comfort you, Mordane?" The well-dressed Breton didn't answer, instead turning to look away and looking down while walking.

"Sir, what will be your first move? Shall I mobilize our forces?"

"Not yet but I will require a small escort group by tomorrow and horses for transportation, Torbin." Richard pushed himself to his feet and the Nord, Torbin, left quickly. He always got excited when any fighting was involved. Mordane spoke up when Torbin was gone from the room, not wanting to get into an argument with the intimidating man.

"I do not wish to overstep my boundaries but is this certainly how you want to start your conquest? I will stand beside you until my last breath, but I don't want you to ignore my advice." Richard was not looking towards his timid advisor, but he knew he meant no ill will. Mordane has long since been with him and he has long since proved his loyalty to Richard and his wife's well-being. Even before Richard held the highest throne in High Rock, Mordane and Torbin were behind him.

"You don't need to worry about controlling what you say around me, friend. I could plan a meeting using a courier and a letter, but I cannot sit and wait for my answer. If I am to complete my personal quest, I will do so myself at every step. I do need you to keep my kingdom safe while Torbin and our band are gone. I assume I can rely on you for that?" It was a rhetorical question, as Richard didn't need an answer to something he already knew the response to.

"Of course, I will, sir! I will be here when you return in victory." Mordane spoke up and his tone changed to be much more upbeat than before.

"Good. Then I will make my leave in preparation for tomorrow." Mordane bowed and left Richard to prepare himself without interruptions.

Richard slowly made his way to the armory that held his most precious equipment. It was a large room with beautifully cut stone walls and marble tiled floors. Glass cases and containers decorated the empty space with a multitude of enchanted or expensive items from Richards travels over his life, his personal trophies that had no use but to help him reminisce about how far he had come. Though his crown jewel was the one thing he could never have gotten this far without it.

"Who would have thought someone such as I would have the power to control a province of people. Sir Richard of Wayrest, a boy grown up almost literally from the ground like a weed only to grow to have the strength of a drake." Richard spoke to only himself, but no more than a couple individuals would know of his past.


	2. Chapter 1

The Redguards have somehow come out of their bloody war with the Aldmeri Dominion with less casualties than their enemies, the pompous Altmer and any allies they had fighting alongside them. The nature of Redguards would make it surprising if they gave in without being pushed to the brink of possible extinction. They had full control over the war from the start it seemed, not letting up for a second. It was especially true since their lands were already taken from them many other times, but they regained control back.

On the other side of the war, the Altmer of Summerset Isle were continuing their conquest of Tamriel. They had gotten a large portion of Tamriel, including Elsewyr and Valenwood, which was why they had decided to try and take Hammerfell after. With being pushed back by the headstrong Redguards, their quest had been temporarily held back.

Despite that, the story of the eventual great ruler of High Rock were unaffected by those events until much later in his life. Sir Richard of Wayrest, or rather just Richard at this point in time, started as nothing more than a beggar. The young resident of the kingdom of Wayrest was not expected to rise to royalty if anyone were to judge him when they first saw him.

"You're lucky you didn't actually hurt me with this robbery, kid. I would have you locked up in a heartbeat. Leave before I get in a worse mood." A haughty storeowner spoke down to a child who was glaring at him. The child gritted his teeth, unfortunately not as intimidating as he wanted it to be while he was on his knees, holding his right arm.

"I don't care what you do to me! All I wanted from your stupid shop was something to eat!" The child spoke loudly, keeping his eyes locked on the storeowner's. He was clearly not going to back down easily, a trait that was rare in today's age for adults, but it seemed like every child had it in droves.

"Then bring money next time and pay like everybody else or you'll keep ending up on your knees, scum." The storeowner shot a sardonic grin at the boy below him. The boy didn't have time to retort before the man left him. Whispers could be heard from people walking and standing close by, not making a move to give assistance. The boy gritted his teeth more and promptly got onto his feet, still holding his arm. A trail of red could be seen on the fabric of the sleeve, starting from where the boy was holding his arm to the end of the sleeve. A pool seemed to gather, starting to stain around the opening of the arm. It didn't make much of a difference seeing as the condition of his clothing was no better than the others that sat on the paths begging. His white shirt had only light spots of white color remaining, the rest getting closer to the dirt he laid in. To no surprise, his pants were ripped in many places and were black to cover the rest of the damage.

The young boy was named Richard, though no one could claim to know his last name. His parents, who were both deceased, were not the social sort and the few people they knew chose to distance themselves after what had happened. They had since been forgotten and their only remaining memory was Richard himself. He didn't know his parents at all, not even knowing what they had looked like. The tragedy of their passing happened when Richard was not yet old enough to walk easily. That had left Richard without a place to stay and no one to take him in afterwards.

Richard walked the streets of Wayrest, but not to any specific destination. Instead, he was just walking and trying to take his mind off what had just happened. The storeowner had just caught him because the knife slipped from Richards hand while he was cutting a sack open. It had caused the injury on his arm and Richard naturally stepped back in response when it sliced him. That caused some barrels to tumble and the storeowner had heard the commotion. Richard tried to hide but he was too slow and was found. He had gotten as far as the front counter before getting too greedy. A bag of coins was in his sight and he tried to grab it on his way out. Instead of flawlessly swiping it and running out the door, he tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. The storeowner almost immediately caught him, roughly throwing him out and that was when he and Richard had their argument.

* * *

It was early evening when Richard let himself fall against the outside of a building, the sun almost gone and the sky a beautiful shade of red-orange. While he didn't enjoy being what he was now, it did put into perspective what kinds of things he would miss if things got better for him. The beauty of nature and its dynamic changes that most people don't notice was one.

"I have seen you made quite a scene, young one. Might I ask you what happened earlier?" A robed person with little of their face showing came up a distance from Richard, who was too distracted by the fading of the light. His face hardened immediately when he looked to see who spoke to him.

"What does it matter to you?" Richard narrowed his eyes, trying to get a look at who he was looking at. Even from this angle, it was just clear that the person was most likely a male with their body shape, although even with robes it could be questionable.

"I am simply curious about what happened since you were part of the commotion earlier." The robed character was definitely a member of a temple or covenant. He spoke far too proper to be a normal citizen.

"You want to know? It's because I wanted to eat some simple bread but that was too much to ask for a kid like me." Richard wasn't going to walk and walk away from the robed man. Certainly not out of any sort of respect but because he was comfortable.

"Is there a chance I could help you out of your ordeal? The Divines have guided me to you for a reason, I feel." Richard didn't believe for a second that the 'Divines' were guiding anybody, and this man's speech wasn't changing that at all. He was getting progressively more annoyed.

"I'm not going to go along with your god talk, so save your breath and leave now." Richard was expecting the man to leave but he was rooted in his spot it seemed. He wasn't taking any steps away, making young Richard feel uncomfortable.

"I have to play my role. Please, all I ask is for you to come with me." The man was ruthless with his persuasive attempts, but Richard was getting pulled into his thoughts. Richard couldn't get the robed man away from him it seemed, even being entirely ignorant towards him.

"Fine but not for any other purpose. Got me?" The robed man bowed and waited for Richard to get to his feet. It was a hesitant motion but eventually Richard did just that. With both men on their feet, the robed one led the way down the many confusing streets of Wayrest. It was not a city laid out in the most sensible of ways. Eventually, the pair was led to their destination: A Temple of Akatosh. Richard knew something like this was going to happen and he was prepared for seeing the imposing structure. He wasn't one to let a stone building stop him from walking, but he was still questioning on the purpose of their trip. Despite that, Richard didn't stop himself for long.

The inside of the building was beautifully decorated with a large central prayer shrine, glass and red color making it stand out from the rest of the colors. The perimeter of the temple had several shrines to Akatosh along the walls carved from a darker metal but not pure black like ebony. The empty space had some half a dozen other followers wearing robes as well, making Richard feel extremely out of place with his tattered clothes.

"Welcome to the home of the Convent of Akatosh, young man." Richard narrowed his eyes, only glancing at the robed man beside him who sounded happy and confident when speaking now.

"Okay, so what now? What can I do in this barren place." Richard was not to hold himself back when speaking after what had happened to him after all the years of being alone. That was what got him into trouble every time, whether it be with guards or random residents.

"I told you, the Divines told me about you and I followed their guidance. Might I ask you a question now that we are not in the open?" The robed man turned to Richard, stepping back and slipping off his hood. Underneath was not a man, rather a human woman with a beautiful face. Richard felt his breath catch for once.

"I guess but I do not plan on staying anyway."

"I get the idea that you do not approve of the Divines in your personal opinion but can the Convent of Akatosh house you until we can find a place for you? I cannot let you be out there without helping." The woman cupped her hands together in front of her. Some others that were busy before were watching the events play out. They were of varying ages, but all were human races, unsurprisingly. Right now, the members of elves, human, and beast races were not getting along too well. None of them seemed to be the same as the residents walking outside the building.

"Fine, I can stay until I find something better." Richard retreated into himself, his glare returning little by little. He knew he had to stay vigilant no matter where he was.

"That is fine. Then might I ask for you to follow me again? This temple is not where you will be staying." The woman bowed once again and started moving without waiting for a response from Richard. He kept his distance but followed the member of the Convent once again. The two went to a building almost directly next to the temple, much less decorated besides hanging banners hanging on the outside. Compared to the temple made of pristine material and made to be imposing to the eye, this new building looked to be much more mundane and not as noticeable from the start. The woman stopped in front of it and Richard stopped as well.

"So, is this where I will be at? This doesn't look to be all that great, not much better than where I was at last night." Richard heard a deep breath at this side, looking to see the woman breathing hard with her eyes closed.

"Although I am not going to do anything myself, I would hope our goodwill not be insulted without proper experience to give judgement." The woman stepped forward, this time not motioning for Richard or mentioning for him specifically. It was clear Richard had hit a nerve with his opinion. Still, he followed in silence into the building. Inside was much better than the outside, the cobblestone exterior walls being replaced with either polished marble supports or cut marble to walk on. Red carpet guided one's way through the two floors of the building, very immaculate in that regard. No expense was sparred when decorating even something as simple as a shelter to the followers of Akatosh. There was not much time to examine everything, as the woman who guided Richard did so with a quickened pace. The woman seemed either hasty to get where she wanted or what Richard has said before coming in was more insulting than he thought.

"So…how many people are actually staying in this place?" Just from the glances Richard could take while keeping up with the surprisingly quick priest, it looked like it could handle a large number of residents. There was an area for making meals and a large area probably for socializing took up a large amount of the first floor, although there was no doubt a lot more than Richard could see without being reprimanded again by the woman. The floor above had lots of space for followers of Akatosh or possibly others that are brought in from the streets.

"We have taken in many with some staying and others leaving. We will ask, a large amount that are not condescending about it, but we will not demand them to stay." The woman turned back to Richard, a disappointed look still plastered on her face. She really did not like the place she called home patronized.

"I get what you are saying. I'm not going to act like I am a nice person, no matter who is speaking to me about any subject. I am not going to change who I am just to be in a place like this." Richard fought back the woman's verbal attack with his own. The woman would not raise a fist in either this place or the temple, but she would not stop her voice from projecting her emotions.

"Then do you want to stay and accept our hospitality or go back to where you think you belong?" It was Richard's turn to feel the insult to who he was. This woman was judging his situation without knowing his background or personality. He might be considered nothing more than a young beggar, but he wouldn't let his pride be attacked by anyone.

"No, I will go back to where I belong." A simple answer was all Richard gave. He was going to show the world that he could survive without the help from any Divine or human. He has lived long enough without having many problems and who knows what would happen when he got to the age to be able to work for septims, not beg.

* * *

It must have been a sign or a punishment from the Divines or possibly taunting from the Deadra. Heavy rain poured onto anywhere in Wayrest that didn't have a roof. Even overhangs from buildings did nothing to protect from the onslaught of the weather. Richard could not find a place to stay this night and everywhere else was taken by another who was doing what they could to stay warm and dry. He was in the fetal position, hugging his knees to his chest. It saved nothing, every fabric on him being soaked and his body being constantly tortured by more rainfall. Still, Richard didn't cry or lament his decisions. He was staring down to protect his eyes and face from the water as best he could.

"One more day, one more day and I can try to get more food. All I have to do is be able to get out faster, maybe have diversions set up this time before I try…" He was whispering his plans for what he thought would be a good day. It was the best thing he could do to pass the time: Planning his movements and strategizing from past experiences. He has kept himself fed and safe for years by improving on what he previously attempted. When he was older, he figured something would open up to him, even if it was a basic job that got him some septims.

* * *

The next day, the rain stopped but Richard was still drowned in moisture. He didn't change his position much either, not having the energy to move. Over the last couple of days, Richard got enough septims 'donated' to him to buy something edible. The loud growl from his stomach was what made him give in to the need.

Richard was still silent, his mind not being able to settle itself down for a second. When Richard calmed himself down for a sliver of time, he came to a sight of standing directly in front of the Chapel of Akatosh. It was the same one he came to with the woman before. Before that day, Richard never stopped or glanced at any Chapel, only passing by doing something else. After the woman brought him here a few days earlier, it seemed a little more imposing.

"Why? Why am I here, then?" He knew who he was asking. He demanded an answer from the very force he knew had a hand in pulling the string of this very building. Akatosh, the Divine of Time and the strongest of their ranks. Everyone knew of his role and strength, but Richard never personally attributed anything that happened to any force other than his own, until now.

"Just one chance, you hear me? And one septim." Richard took one last deep breath, pushing the door to the Chapel of Akatosh open wide.

"You have returned but might I impose on your reasoning?" The same woman as before was facing Richard down, a cringe replacing her current expression. She was preforming her expected daily duties, a perturbed tone not covering up her disdain for Richard. He wasn't entirely insulted, but far from ready to apologize.

"How in oblivion would I know? I just felt like doing it. As far as I care, nowhere is private to me." The woman's cringe got worse, but she couldn't deny his movements in the Chapel. She disregarded his presence from then on, letting him do as he pleased. He didn't have much he wanted to do but he felt a reason to spend a little bit of time in the Chapel, at least.

Richard had never prayed to the Divines before, not feeling like he needed to or wanted their help in his life. Still, it wasn't the first new thing he has tried since he was left alone in the world. He even ventured to going back to where he had been born, looking for some sort of clue on what it could have been that had crossed his path in the worst way possible. It has been many years since then and he was very young and angry when he had gone there. He had missed something, either small or possibly just something he could not recognize without having much experience in the world.

That was not his reasoning for today, though. Today, he didn't have anything specific to ask or want. Rather, he was just looking for some direction and reasoning behind wanting to do something else he had not done to this day. He could not get on his knees and beg like every other person who came to the altars for their own personal needs, his own pride being the only factor in that. Instead, he dropped his remaining spetim into the decorated bowl in front of the bust of Akatosh. He did not know the customs of praying, thinking of this as more of a casual conversation with himself only.

"So, what did you want me in here for? There is no other reason I would come here myself." He felt no nervousness in speaking to no one, accustomed to the looks or ridiculousness that came with the action. A beggar had no one to talk to but himself every day. There was nothing but silence as the minutes passed.

"You make me spend everything I have, and you can't even tell me a word of why? This is why I don't trust in anything god-like, good or bad." Ricahrd grinded his teeth in frustration, turning his back to the altar and only taking one step.

"You have come after all…" A soft, female voice spoke from Richard's back. He instinctively turned to find…no one. Just the altar and the bowl.

"Who said that?" Richard quickly checked around himself but only seen two other people inside the building with him. The woman from before that didn't share the voice and would not give him anything he asked for at this point. The other was a Nord, from the looks of his body. Possibly a traveler or possibly on a pilgrimage.

"Do not look for me…you cannot find me with mortal eyes…" The feminine voice indeed was not lying from the sound of it, but it did seem to originate from a central point. The altar of Akatosh.

"So, give me an answer to my question." Richard spoke with confidence, voice not waning despite speaking to an Divinge, an Aedra of near limitless power. The air grew thicker in the Chapel, the presence catching the attention of the other two bystanders.

"You will not be guided by me but instead your decisions will guide your life…You will not hear from me until I feel it is necessary again…Sir Richard, the Crimson Lion of Wayrest and representative of my image…" The voice spoke Richards name, but he was taken aback by it. 'Sir' is the label it added, meaning it seen royalty or importance in the impatient boy's life? The last part was confusing as well, combining many titles that Richard could never achieve in one lifetime.

"Sir Richard? What do you mean by that?" Richard demanded an answer now; his voice rising to catch the attention and worry of the others in the Chapel. With subconsciously balled fists, Richard took a step towards the inanimate shrine, waiting. "Why aren't you talking now? What are you telling me?!" Richard growled underneath his breath, temper rising. It was a weakness that he only showed when overly curious or teased to the point of running out of patience.

"You are not to raise your voice in the Chapel of Akatosh, young man. I do not know what is going on, but it should be taken outside if you are going to cause a commotion." The woman that led Richard before, a harsh sting to her words and much less comforting than what was coming from the shrine. A quick turn revealed she was far from smiling anymore, her expression showing not concern but disappointment.

"I am doing nothing but clearing my head. You don't need to act like I am a menace, like the rest of them." Richard returned the attitude, fighting the woman's fire with his own. The Nord stood at a distance, overlooking the exchange but not interfering. His expression was one more of curiosity, a hand ruffling his developing beard that almost signified his lineage in most eyes. The color matched his growing head of hair, both having a fine, brown hue to them. His clothes also were light and seemed to be much more suited to being on the road rather than something a citizen would be seen wearing.

"You are giving off an aura of unease and I would appreciate it if you left until the air is cleared of negative feelings once again." The woman stood her ground, her hands becoming white by having to hold back her own voice.

"I am just trying to understand what was said to me by…" The thought hit Richard like a taking a fireball without any protection. He didn't know EXACTLY who he was called by, but there were only a few beings that could communicate without being seen. Ghosts and phantoms could not penetrate the sanctified walls of any Chapel. Deadra were indeed powerful, but a Divine would have to be severely weakened to be invaded either physically or spectrally. That only left one option, one that Richard could not prove and would sound insane saying out loud.

"Was said to you by…?" The woman's eyes got wide and her hands spread apart. The anger in her person seemed to dissipate all at once. "Were you spoken to by Lord Akatosh as well?" Richard was the one confused now, not having a good answer that would be fitting with the sudden softness.

"Um…I think so. I heard a woman in my head without you saying anything to me." The woman sighed, a smile coming to her face. The Nord stepped closer to the two, staying silent still but very interested at what would happen next.

"That is good. Like the others that have come to us, we have all heard the voice of the one we have given ourselves to. I am surprised you were the next one chosen, but I cannot ignore the calling of our Lord. I have to impose a question on you yet again, one last time."

"I have given all I had left to get this far, I can manage one last question. I cannot guarantee a good answer, though." The woman bowed slightly, making Richard step back to make a bigger space between them. He never had anyone bow to him and has never lowered his head to another, as well.

"If you decline, I will not ask anymore, and you will be free of having to speak with me again. Will you join the Convent of Akatosh, following our Divine Lord that you have heard yourself?" The woman got right to the point with her question, although Richard was not expecting a second chance after his insults from last time.

"I will have to…think about it. That is a big choice to make…" The woman stood straight again, the smile not leaving her face this time. It was keeping Richard more on edge than when she was getting angry.

"Of course, I expected as much. Take all of the time you need, Sir…" The woman stopped, not knowing Richard's name.

"Sir? Why do you call me Sir? I'm a beggar." Richard was defensive about being called what he had not earned, especially since he was nowhere near having the required prestige to be called Sir.

"All of the members of our Convent have either the title of Sir or Miss in front of their names. If you decline, I will not call you such. I am Miss Erica to other members."

"I see. In that case, I am Richard…" Richard felt like giving his name out to anyone was dangerous, but nothing seemed to be hidden in a place like this. This building had a different feeling surrounding it than the insecurity of the streets.

"Sir Richard it is. I will be awaiting your answer." One last bow and Erica went back to her duties. The Nord from before had gotten quite close as well but was making his way out with Richard immobile. He was not sure what had happened, having to organize his thoughts before deciding on anything. He had two choices to choose from now: Continue to beg and hope for a better life or join the Convent of Akatosh and have to follow their rules.


	3. Chapter 2

'Sir Richard, the Crimson Lion of Wayrest and representative of my image.'

That was the last thing that was said to him at the Chapel of Akatosh by the heavenly voice. For a couple of days, he weighed his choices away from the influence of the Chapel. Unfortunately, Erica from before visited him at least once a day. She tried to convince him it wasn't for any purpose other to make sure Ricard was doing okay, but he knew better. She wanted to know his choice but would not say it herself.

"How are you doing today, Sir Richard?" Richard cringed at the question, his gaze locked at the Erica's feet. This was asked enough times that he could consider Erica someone who actually wanted to speak to him.

"Exactly how I was yesterday and the day before. What do you want?" He couldn't see but assumed she was holding the usual daily rations she brought to him. If he wasn't starving, he would leave them without eating a bite. Unfortunately, his luck was worse than it has ever been. He didn't get a septim since the day he went to the Chapel, which he didn't enjoy doing in the first place.

"I have simply come to give you my personal blessings along with a meal. Why do you ask every time I come without looking for yourself?" Erica didn't make a move, holding the basket still. She never did leave until he took the food. He even tried to ignore her for up to ten minutes, yet she still stayed without any motions to leave.

"Why?" A simple word that could reveal a lot out of a person.

"Well…I just feel like we are…special and I do not know anybody else who has personally been spoken to by Akatosh." Richard knew the reason would be something about who Erica followed. Although that reasoning sounded a bit fake.

"No one else has experienced what I did? You said before that everybody who is part of your group was spoken to by the voice. How would you not know anybody else who have had the same experience." Richard looked up finally to see Erica was indeed holding her daily basket. Oddly, she was fidgeting her fingers and a deep blush was across her face.

"Oh, did I say that? I meant that…I do not know anybody else that personally, but we have all indeed heard the voice of our Lord." It was a big difference between the sentences, meaning different things entirely. Erica was skipping over her words for some reason.

"Of course you have. How long do you plan on doing this?" Boldness was a quality that Richard had before and will always have.

"Until I am no longer able to walk or find you. I apologize if it is an inconvenience, but I was told by Lord Akatosh to keep you safe and healthy as best I can." Richard narrowed his eyes at the response, the reasoning sounding a little fake to anyone who hasn't experienced the connection themselves.

"She said that to you? That's your only reason?" The blush deepened, Erica's eyes starting to move away, breaking connection to Richard's before reconnecting and repeating.

"That is the only reason I would like to admit. Would you like me to stop?" Richard looked down again, thinking the response through his head. He would say yes without hesitation, but something in him seemed to have changed a bit. He didn't want to immediately push this person away.

"No. I just don't want you coming up to me like this. It could make things harder for me, seeing as I am a begger." If Richard had someone supplying him with food, even if it wasn't what he wanted, he wouldn't get any more attention.

"I understand but I cannot deny my Lord's request. I hope you can understand my reasoning." Richard scoffed, his gaze wandering around the ground. Erica continued to stand in place, even though she wasn't speaking anymore. If anything, her persistence was on the level of obsessed to Richard. Even with hearing the voice of the woman, possibly Akatosh, he wasn't about to give in easily to the idea of believing in a Divine.

* * *

The follower of Akatosh continued to visit Richard, who was getting too comfortable with her presence. He was getting fed every day and Erica even brought clothing for him to wear. It wasn't the robes they were donning themselves, but it was new and proper clothing. Richard even caught himself waiting for her approach, almost waiting for the time when she would be walking towards him.

"Hello, Sir Richard. How are you today?" Erica sounded happier today then usual, an unusual skip in her step. Richard glanced to her, seeing her usual delivery in her arms and a large smile on her face. Evidently, her mood had changed for the better over the last few days. She was in a miserable mood, yet still did her usual rounds to him. It was quite inspiring to see someone so dedicated.

"I am no different than yesterday, although the weather doesn't seem to be about to let up again today. Did you get back before it got bad yesterday?" The two had planned to not meet in the usual spot, Richard losing his patience with not getting anything ever since Erica was visiting him daily. They agreed to meet outside of a tavern, a place Erica was surprisingly quick to suggest. It might have been the thought that a follower of any Chapel didn't partake in such activities, especially a woman.

"I got a little wet, but that is it. Did you make it before as well, or did you decide to try and act tough, waiting out in the rain again?" Richard sighed, rolling his eyes. The two constantly got into their bickering match, but it was always playful banter at best.

"No, I decided to stay out of the rain this time. I don't approve of you giving me your septims, just so I can be warm, you know." Erica was giving Richard the daily amount of coin needed to keep a room in the cheapest, although Erica wanted to go more expensive, Inn rather than sitting on the streets. Richard was adamantly against the very thought of it the first dozen times Erica suggested, but she had worn him down to giving in to her barrage of questioning and demanding of it.

"I will not let my conscious be burdened by you having to act like a degenerate anymore! You may not enjoy it, but it helps me everyday to know you are taken care of by someone, especially since it is me. Also, why do you not call me by my name?" Richard started chewing on the bread she had delivered, looking away when she had asked her question. A blush was starting to appear on his face and the last thing he wanted was for her to see it.

"I haven't called anyone by their name since…well, ever. You know me well enough to know that I have never bothered to learn anyone's name. I didn't even have the chance to call my parents by their names…" The blush disappeared instantly as he whispered the last sentence, letting it trail off. Erica leaned over, resting her head on Richard's shoulder. Richard kept his gaze away from the follower of Akatosh, not wanting to see him get angrier. It never helped when he thought about the early life he never got to experience, and to this day, no one told him about.

"I understand. You know my name, I hope." It wasn't a direct question, but Richard answered nonetheless.

"I do, Erica. Do these daily trips burden you at all? I feel like you have much better things to do besides see a nobody like me." Richard was getting defensive again, the only way he knew how: Insulting and deflecting. Erica abruptly pulled her head from his shoulder.

"I told you the reason I see you and of course not! As a follower of Akatosh, I have been given this task and I was told it would help me grow into a responsible adult by the older members." Richard quickly turned, having a defensive response ready but was cut short by a realization. He blankly stared at Erica, putting together what was said and what he was seeing. It really didn't hit him until just now to even bring THAT subject up.

"Hold on, what do you mean 'grow' into a responsible adult? And older members? Erica, how old are you?" Erica dropped her head to the side a little, a puzzling expression on her face. Richard was not on the same page as the woman beside him, it seemed.

"I am only thirteen. I have a while to go until I reach the age of the adult members, but I will make it!" Erica talked proudly, a wide grin taking over her face. Richard kept his expression, putting together what he figured out slowly. He was stunned, to say the least. "How old did you think I was?"

"I thought you were older! Your voice and actions don't seem like a young girl's! Plus, you didn't sound like this at all when we first met, in fact you seemed like a man at that point. I need some things explained…" Erica giggled and pushed herself to her feet. It was abrupt, leaving Richard no time to think about how he would react.

"I may be a devout follower of Akatosh, but I cannot give away my secrets to just anyone. I will only reveal what I can do and what I look like underneath this robe to the ones I trust. Unfortunately, you are not a member of the Chapel. My vows will not be broken, if I want to tell you. Forgive me, Sir Richard." Erica spoke quickly, but she recited her message as if she had practiced it. It was perfectly said, stopping him from getting his questions answered, as well as questioning certain parts of the speech.

"Really? You are saying the only way I can no more than I already do is by joining you? As a 'devout follower of Akatosh', you are going pretty low as putting up a bribe like that." Richard crossed his arms, not budging from his place.

"If that is how you feel, then I respect your decision. I must get back, today is busy. I am counting on you to bring my basket back to me today!" Erica pushed the basket onto Richard's lap, the contents barely touched and enough for a whole day. Richard didn't have time to respond before Erica, now who he would have to remember is a young girl barely younger than himself, trotted off happily back the way she came. Richard couldn't help but wonder what was said before and it if it meant anything different that only Erica was getting. Richard thought she was older, especially since he couldn't see under her robe, but the oddest thing was that her height was more suited to that of an older woman. She actually was taller than Richard when the two were standing side to side by at least a little.

* * *

Richard ate and contemplated on what he should do next. He wouldn't let what Erica said effect his decision, but he couldn't see going back to begging after being treated for so long by the girl. Also, it wouldn't stop by her words, no matter how long he was on the streets and without a home. Richard did not want to put Erica through the daily chore of seeing him, especially when she would get more responsibility.

There was also the subject of the voice that talked to him the only time he had visited the Chapel. It might have been a trick of the mind, the thing Richard was hoping was true, but Erica said she had heard a voice as well. Everybody who was a follower of Akatosh heard it at some point. It was too unbelievable to be coincidence.

Richard thought about the question Erica posed to him before. She had asked for him to become an official follower of Akatosh like herself and many others. He had thought about it since he left the Chapel months ago and was up until he stopped at the door to the building the followers called home. It was quiet inside, but there was noise coming from somewhere around the building. It was like metal banging into each other. Richard did only get a small tour from Erica previously, so there could be more areas that were owned by the Chapel.

"I have to make the choice." Richard pounded on the double doors, movement being heard from inside now. Despite being in the building before, Richard couldn't remember where all the sounds were coming from due to the long span of time. An elderly woman opened the door, clearly showing her age and being one of the common neighbors of High Rock, if not a Breton herself. It was harder to tell as she was shrouded by the same style of robe Erica was seen in constantly.

"Hello, young man. What brings you to us today?" As expected, the greeting was warm. With the large doors open, the noise from inside was easier to hear. There were some quick movements inside, although they were all being done well away from view.

"I am returning a basket that was left when someone from your group came to see me. A wom-young girl that was out earlier."

"There are quite a few of our young ones that do not keep themselves in this place during the day. Can you give me any details about this young girl?" Richard opened his mouth to speak as if he knew everything about Erica, but he couldn't think of anything on the spot. It wasn't that he didn't know what she looked like for the most part, it was that he never bothered to take much notice at how long it has been.

"Right. Erica has…short, light brown hair and an almost flawless face. I don't know much else, I haven't seen her out of her robes." The older woman smiled and stepped to the side, motioning for Richard to step inside. Hesitantly, Richard did so, if only enough to get out of the way of the door. Last time he came in, he was escorted by Erica, but something seemed different this time.

"I will get Miss Erica, but try not to keep her busy for long. She has yet to finish her duties, as she is always gone to see you for some time." Richard glanced away, his face heating up a little bit. So, this older lady must have been a mother figure for the other members.

* * *

It was a few minutes that seemed to stretch on for hours until Erica came in sight. While waiting, a few other followers passed by Richard, who stuck out more than an Orc in a group of Imperials. The variety of followers he saw was rather interesting, though. He seen a fair amount of people ranging in age and gender wearing the same robes as before, even some differing in either design or level of detail. There must have been some meaning behind it, but Richard couldn't even begin to assume what it meant.

The one thing that caught his eye instantly was when a pair walked past Richard to leave out the front. They were adorned in shining outfits of steel armor, the front beautifully decorated with the red of Akatosh, the Divine's image etched into the front. The back had three marks from the sides to close to the spine that resembled claw marks, spaced so that they covered the length of the cuirass. They also were decorated in the red color, darker than the front. The rest of the suit, including steel leggings and leather gauntlets with metal coverings extending to the elbow, had the same design to the cuirass with red making it stand out from any other similar armor.

"Sir Richard!" Richard was snapped out of his inspection of the armor by Erica's gleeful tone and her arms wrapping around his neck. Richard squirmed a bit, his ingrained natural reaction making his body want to push away whatever was holding him. With difficulty, Richard made his body stop moving at least until Erica released him herself.

"I told you before, I don't want to be called Sir." Richard held the basket out to Erica, who took it and held it like she always did. It must have been something that was natural for the members.

"I ask you for forgiveness to my actions, but I call you that to show respect. I do not expect you to do the same for me regarding my title, which I do understand why. I cannot call you anything else while you in this sacred place or the Chapel." Richard scoffed but couldn't argue. Just like he raised himself to not show respect to anybody who didn't earn it, Erica could not be scolded for acting according to her upbringing.

"Fine. Do what you want. Guess I had better leave before you are seen with someone like me anymore." Richard was naturally not thinking before talking, the abuse of himself being a constant action of his. Erica responded too quickly, grabbing Richard's arm.

"I will not let you talk like that! No other person would take their time to bring back the basket and you know that for a fact. You are so much better of a person than anyone else I have ever met outside these walls that are not part of the Chapel of Akatosh. I hope you at least take that as a compliment." Richard didn't pull back this time, just glancing down to Erica's grasp. He didn't know how to feel about what was being said about him, the treatment far from familiar even after this long of knowing the young girl.

"Erica, or I guess I can call you MISS Erica this once, why exactly do you try so hard for my sake? Don't say it is just because Akatosh said so, since I know there is at least one other reason." Richard stood tall, not being able to look down at Erica, rather the young girl looking evenly at him. The question looked like it caused her to consider her answer, her mouth opening and closing once before answering.

"I am doing this because I…just do not want you to be alone in a time like this. I will never claim to know you or your history, but I want to know more. As a friend, of course!" Erica quickly spoke the last sentence, adding it at the last second. Richard was not an idiot about words, purposely showing obliviousness to it.

"As a friend, right. I knew there was another reason behind it." Erica released Richard's arm, gripping the basket like before, although she was now staring straight down and fidgeting everywhere.

"I assume you will be going now? I am sorry to have made you do this." Erica was uncharacteristically upset. This subject was clearly not easy for her to talk about.

"Miss Erica…how do I join?" Erica's eyes shot up to look directly into Richard's. He held his neutral gaze, but Erica was cheered up in seconds. She excitedly and immediately grabbed Richard's hand, pulling him into the building. Richard did his best to keep up, trying not to fall on the ground and get dragged by the unsurprisingly happy member. He was about to get into more than he imagined from the start. His fate was going to continue on the path laid out by the Goddess, the manifestation of Akatosh that spoke to him months ago.


	4. Intermission 1

"It's been two decades since that day, yet I still remember it as if it had just passed. I do wonder where I would be if I hadn't had Erica to convince me to answer the call from Akatosh on that day. Erica…" Richard's moment of recalling his memories was disturbed by the door to his personal armory opening in far from a subtle way. It was a dead giveaway on who it was.

"Sir Richard, many of our soldiers were more than happy to join us. I have chosen who will make up the escort" Torbin stood at the doors to where Richard was reminiscing. He also retired his ornate armor for a common outfit. Unlike the haughty advisor that had to share a place alongside the High King, Torbin couldn't stand the royal garbs.

"We are not being watched, what have I told you about calling me that?" Richard's tone didn't convey condescension. Rather, it was a true question.

"I respect you too much and it is out of habit. You are my superior, Richard." Richard let out a sigh, not even thinking of fighting against his friend about titles. He could win diplomatically but Nords were notorious for being the most stubborn race on Tamriel.

"If that's what you think but you know how I feel about that kind of formal stuff between us."

"I remember, yes. You said the same to Miss Erica many times but that didn't stop her." Richard hesitated to respond at the mention of Erica. It has been long, yet out long enough for the memories to soften the pain. Torbin picked up on the silence quickly. "I'm sorry, I forgot about that request." There was genuine worry in his voice.

"It's fine, you forgot a lot. I am coming to terms with my mistake slowly. Will you be prepared for a battle when we arrive in Skyrim?" The air was cleared almost instantly, as if there was never tension. One of Richard's most powerful skills was his charisma.

"Of course, I am! I have been making sure our soldiers are in peak shape, although none are as skilled as me! Except you, Sir Richard." Torbin's voice boomed loudly once again. He could not control himself when speaking about combat.

"You know better than anyone why I am powerful. I am blessed by the Divines as well as possessing other extraordinary abilities. If I did not have those gifts, I would be severely outclassed by you." Richard knew how strong the selfless Nord was. His strong faith kept his vanity in check, though. Despite that, Torbin would never agree without strong complaints.

"There's always more to a battle than physical strength. Your gifts just help you show your dominance more." Richard had to concede before the subject changed too heavily. It was getting too late to talk about anything else, other than what was considered small talk to them.

"You can't disagree with how outmatched I was when we first sparred." Some would not bring up earlier times, as it showed inexperience or weakness. Both Torbin and Richard disagreed with the notion, easily openly speaking of the past for some subjects.

"Indeed. We were both very much the weakest fighters the initiates had to offer. Hell, if you had started out as a warrior, we probably wouldn't be where we are today." The past events of the two could only be considered fate, at least the two of them considered it as such.


	5. Chapter 3

"Richard! Have you finished your duties yet?!" The question could be heard once again by everyone in the building. Any new members would be surprised by the frequency of the event but would get used to the voice echoing throughout like older members have been hearing for months.

"They always get done. Don't make a fuss over such a small thing." Richard, on the other hand, was barely paying attention. The woman was getting progressively angrier each time she had to speak to Richard about his behavior or duties as part of the convent. She was far from old, but the expression on her face looked far too natural. It didn't seem like she ever smiled. It surprised Richard her hair wasn't gray or white yet.

"You are impossible! You shouldn't be with the rest of us!" A common but rude last sentence that had been told to Richard by many people, both within his group and outside of it as well. The only one that treated him with decency was Erica, even if she did so more passively. He didn't blame her at all, though. Richard would never want Erica in a situation where she had to endure what he did. Thick skin was not something she had. The agitated older woman, no the other hand, showed no respect, leaving in anger.

"Sir Richard, why do you instigate so much?" Erica was close, as expected, and came up when the two were near alone. She also came up with the same question as she usually did.

"Why shouldn't I? What have any of these people done to earn my respect?" Richard came up back with the same answer every time as well. The two had a similar conversation a couple times a week, which had been progressively shortened to just the question and response.

"We did get you in here. It is not much, but it is something." As per the usual, Erica tried to reason with the wall of a boy but would get nowhere fast. Although, the reason was true at least for two people.

"Yes, you and Miss Alvechi. The hag and her little pets want me out." Richard had no qualms in speaking his mind to whoever about whatever. It seemed more like a disadvantage with the typical outcomes, though.

"Sir Richard, please watch what you say! You are already in danger!" Erica spoke louder, startling Richard. He heard Erica raise her voice, but it wasn't any less shocking any other time. She took her position very seriously, even defending people she didn't like.

"Fine, just calm down. Some things get you worked up too easily. It isn't that late, I still have plenty of time." In Richard's mind, he always had 'plenty of time'. There was a reason he was nagged to get things done earlier every day.

"It's almost mid-afternoon!" A clarification of time wouldn't mean much to anyone else, but Richard visibly reacted. His eyes widened, and he unusually looked to his sides.

"Already?! I need to keep better time. Um…I had better go do my stuff, then!" It was extremely out of character and physically had Erica reacting. Out of everyone, she would know Richard like she knew herself. This was not how he reacted to anything, though.

"I will he-HEY!" Erica started to speak, but Richard was already on his way out of earshot of hearing speech.

* * *

It wasn't hard to get away from the other initiates or anybody else. Almost everyone ignored Richard like he was an Orc. Most would try to mend this reputation, but Richard was used to social isolation. The only reason Richard joined a year ago was out of appreciation of Erica. Richard had found something else to catch his attention, though.

It was unusual for any place of worship for an Aedra to teach anything, but manners or the way of life concerning the teaching and representation of the Divine itself. Followers of Zenithar were taught about trade, commonly most active in highly populated cities. Followers of Kynareth were taught to respect nature, usually based near open cities or ones that are bountiful in wildlife. Many were peaceful lessons taught, but few were based around fighting or defending: Talos, Stendarr, and Akatosh.

"I wonder what they are being taught today!" Richard had reached his spot specifically for spying on the most interesting group in his eyes. He had encountered a few of the members before being a part of the convent. They immediately had his attention, always being at the back of his mind until he wandered around the building to find them training. This particular building didn't seem to house many who were trained in combat, especially when compared to the numbers boasted by Talos or Stendarr. Despite that, Akatosh fighters are determined in their cause.

"I wonder how I can get to there…" He was always fully engrossed in trying to learn from afar, hoping he could get something from watching.

An unknown amount of time passed, but Richard never paid attention to how long. The fighters didn't have a set schedule like other followers, instead taking it upon themselves to train on their own. They would have a grandmaster around if they requested one, but the training between the initiates would be self-propelled.

"So, THIS is what you have been doing?!" Richard jumped at the voice, spinning on his heels to see Erica. If anybody were to try and succeed to find him, it would be her. She had a genuine angry look on her face, never a good sign.

"Shh! Quiet down or else they will hear you! I'm just…examining things." It wasn't a lie, just stretching it to accommodate his own personal slacking.

"You have duties, spying not being one of them! Why will you not follow orders, Sir Richard?" The answer was clear, but the entire reason may not have been. The subject always infuriated Richard.

"I am not going to stand around and take orders from someone else, Erica! I have been alone since I could fend for myself and I am not going to adopt to having people around. I don't WANT people around." As expected, Richard spoke without thinking. It always gets him in trouble, no matter who it was. Erica was no different.

"So, you do not want me around…?" Erica was known as the most passionate disciple, but that high emotion was also used in everyday life. She was highly passionate AND highly emotional with both what she said and what was said to her. Richard was getting slightly better at noticing moods, especially with Erica herself.

"Don't make up ideas. You already known the answer." Despite knowing about Erica's moods, Richard still naturally doesn't show what he really means.

"What do we have here? The couple of the abbey over here avoiding their jobs?" The two had forgotten to keep their voices down, attracting the attention of a few of the soldiers. They didn't come in politely, though. The blemish of a fighting force that deserves better in Richard's eyes.

"W-We are sorry, Sir! We will leave immediately!" Erica spoke up quick and made her apology even quicker. She pulled hard on Richard's outfit, in the direction away from the training grounds. Predictably, Richard resisted.

"I'm not going anywhere! They aren't any better than us, just because they have some authority." Once again, Richard's bull-headed attitude clashed with what he probably should be doing.

"Sir Richard, please come along…" Erica's voice was lowering more. She shrank fast in situations with anyone technically ranked higher than her. For the most part, she considered everyone higher than her.

"Listen to your girlfriend, boy." Richard yanked his arm back hard, Erica stumbling against his back. Despite his sudden aggression, she hid behind him.

"I'm not going to back down to the attempts of humiliation by an arrogant boy. What will you do now?" It was clearly a question to challenge the fighter. As expected, the vain warrior stepped forward to impose his dominance.

"MY arrogance? You have no respect and I deserve every ounce of it." The battle here was only between two prideful attitudes. Erica pulled at Richard's sleeve.

"Sir Richard, we cannot disrespect Sir Vius…" Erica timidly tried again, flinching when Vius glanced at her. Richard moved again to put her as far away from his predicament, even if she wouldn't leave entirely herself. She moved slightly again to keep at least an eye out to watch Vius.

"You will get my respect when you show me you deserve it in front of me." Vius cringed at the response, no doubt unusual for him to get disobedience when he brought up the respect reasoning.

"Fine, I'll beat the respect into you. They'll believe me rather than a grungy mutt than you!" Vius stepped towards Richard, sword drawn. Erica gasped and gripped Richard's sleeves, her knuckles going white. It was a surprise she didn't leave yet, but her personality seemed to be slowly changing ever since Richard arrived. Richard, on the other hand, didn't make a move, instead staring down the arrogant Imperial fighter coming at him.

"Excuse me! Vius, wouldn't that be bad to see if the Armsmaster seen you threatening another person like that." A scruffy Nord warrior hastily stepped up close to where the confrontation was happening. Vius sneered at the Nord, lowering his weapon and standing still. His thinner hair on his head but his impressive beard made it perfectly obvious where he came from.

"Torbin, why are you always around at the wrong time. You have a knack for that." Vius still held his intimidating demeanor but his voice portrayed a more calming and friendly sound. The Nord didn't look as young as the other warriors but to a that race, that was very much his prime. The natural strength this man possessed the older he got was ever increasing.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm here just to watch your reckless self. Head back, I'll take care of these ones." Vius didn't reject the notion, him and the ones that came along leaving Torbin with Richard and Erica. Richard moved his glare to Torbin when Vius was out of his vision.

"What do you want, now? Clean up that waste of human spaces job?" Torbin sighed and turned, bowing slightly to Richard. His expression turned to confusion.

"Not at all. I am here to keep the peace around the building. Some people can be too proud of themselves. Without him around, you shouldn't be as tense. I hope." Richard wasn't about to let his guard down, even if this fighter acted like a respectable person.

"If you are friends with them, I'm not going to treat you any different." As expected, Richard answered with hostility with no question.

"I see. Well, then there's nothing I can do about it. Keep quiet when you're watching us, okay?" Torbin turned, starting to leave. Richard was satisfied enough, thinking about whether he should come back or not.

"Please hold, Sir Torbin!" Erica finally moved from behind Richard, her voice back quickly. She took Richards hand, pulling the wondering boy along to get close to the Nord again. He didn't move very far but took larger strides than the timid girl. It showed Richard and Erica's relationship much clearer as Richard made no move to stop. Torbin turned, a smile on his face and bowed slightly again.

"What do you need, young lady?" He certainly didn't share the arrogant attitude, as some others seemed to harbor. It was clear with how quick Erica was to approach the Nord.

"I am Erica and I would like to ask you something in private. Can we meet when you are not busy?"

"Erica, what are yo-" Richard kept his eyes on Erica, confused with what her plan was. Unfortunately, he would get nowhere with Erica's rise of confidence.

"I do not mean to interrupt you, but please let me talk this time, Sir Richard." Erica quickly spoke up, taking Richard by surprise by her sudden disruption. Richard backed down without a fight.

"I see. So, Miss Erica, you are certainly asking for a lot, but I do appreciate your asking."

* * *

"Sir Richard, you are too aggressive! It is not a bad quality to have while in combat, but you cannot risk your own defense for one attack!" Torbin held a large, scuffed claymore across from a heavy breathing Richard, wielding a longsword of his own. The two men were staring each other down outside the walls of Wayrest. It was a windy but clear nonetheless, giving the two a large amount of time to train without weather interrupting them. Torbin wore his traditional training outfit, a basic lightly layered linen outfit with leather stitched in places that are normally used to block basic strikes like the knees and elbows. The outfit had no decorations other than their beige color, only the metal armor having an engraving of what they represented. Torbin was able to get a spare outfit that fit Richard with only a negligible amount of looseness.

"Then what in Oblivion should I do to kill things quicker if I am not taking what chances I can do attack?!" Richard gritted his teeth and closed the distance between Torbin and himself, thinking his lighter weapon could cause Torbin's counterattack to be obscured. He started with strike starting from his bottom left upwards, swinging just before it would make contact with Torbin. In turn, Torbin did nothing to block or attack back, instead watching Richard directly and his claymore unmoving. Richard's true attack was a hard slice downwards back the way it came using the force of gravity as well as his own dominant arms strength. Torbin seemed to barely move but completely interrupting Richard's attack. Torbin's claymore moved so only the hilt blocked Richard's attempt, catching the blade. Richard didn't have time to pull back, his offense breaking with a solid push away to cause Richard to lose his footing. In a moment, Torbin's blade point was against Richard's neck.

"You don't wait for chances, Sir Richard. You make your OWN chances." Richard stepped back, lowering his weapon. He was clearly frustrated, but at himself and his ability.

"We've been doing this for months. I know Erica convinced you to help me but why stay? I doubt the others you are around take this long." Torbin put his claymore down, stretching on the way up to answer Richard's question.

"It might surprise you, but I don't harbor the same kind of ego as the rest of the fighters. Although I am proud, I do not think ones in your position to be any lesser." Richard thrusted his blade into the ground, his expression unchanging and question clearly unanswered.

"You know what I mean. It's no surprise all the members of the convent know I am just someone picked off the street. No special background or relation to anyone else."

"I see. Sir Richard, how much do you know about me?" It was an odd question, but Richard had no answer to it. A blank stare and a shrug are what Richard gave. "I will not go into detail, but I will tell you this: You and I are neither from any special background. I am a Nord, that is what got me past the doors. Erica got you past the door. As well as a few other things, from the sounds of rumors floating around the other members."

"What did she say to you to get you to do this, since we are on the subject?"

"Hm. I guess she wouldn't mind me telling you." Torbin gestured for Richard to follow him, the two lounging out of the sun while Torbin retold the story.

* * *

"Sir Torbin, I do not mean to be too forward, but I have to ask you something special. I do not know why, but I feel like I can trust you." Erica and Torbin were alone in the market area of Wayrest. It was unnecessary in Torbin's eyes, but Erica insisted on talking away from the building. Erica donned her traditional robes that had the representation of Akatosh emblazoned on it and Torbin had his plain, linen clothes.

"I get that more than you would expect, Miss Erica. Whether it is because I am a Nord or how I act, I have people trust me with quite a few secrets of theirs." Erica smiled warmly at the response.

"Is there a way for you to help Sir Richard to fight like you do? He may not know, but I can easily assume he has been watching the warriors training for a while. He is very interested in being a soldier, but he is too impatient to wait for him to have that chance normally. I want Sir Richard to be happy and he would not ask any else to help him." Erica held a basket, having an assignment to pick up specific food for a special dinner being planned. It took a minute for Torbin to answer, having to give the question thought. He didn't want to jeopardize his own position, even if he didn't mind helping someone else himself.

"You are an odd one, giving so much attention to the boy. Although, maybe we were destined to be friends by Akatosh. I will, but it will have to be at specific times. I need you to tell Sir Richard exactly what I am going to say, understand?" Erica turned to stand diligently at attention to Torbin's instructions.

* * *

"You are making me do my work just to make it here in time, and you are putting yourself in danger of being in trouble as well. I just don't see why, is all." Torbin put his hand on his chest before responding.

"You made a scene when you first went into Chapel of Akatosh, you don't think you were the only one who heard something, did you? Although I kept my calm, I heard but a phrase. 'Follow your closest companion'. I was confused seeing as I traveled with no one on my pilgrimage, so I figured there were two options." Torbin took a breath and caught his thoughts up, not wanting to get off subject too much.

"There were only three of us in there on that day, but why assume it was me?"

"I didn't assume that. You will know soon enough what transpired in the years that led to this, but we can't waste time like this! You have much more to learn." Torbin pushed himself onto his feet, striding to his weapon again. He was much more enthusiastic for this than Richard was, not giving his all into it, even now. It wasn't that he was doing it on purpose, rather he had to balance his life now. A schedule was the last thing he ever thought he would actually need to have before this.

"Now, try to strike me but do as I-"

"Is this really where you have been, Torbin? Using your time with this weak trash?" A sharp and all too familiar voice came from the direction of the city limits. Torbin kept his eye forward, but relaxed his grip and Richard shot a glare at the approaching figure. It took them less than a second to know who would come to immediately give that kind of remark. Vius, Torbin's fellow warrior, was maliciously approaching the pair. He didn't have his lackeys with him, surprisingly alone.

"Why are YOU here?!" Richard, not unexpectedly, shot out with an aggressive question of his own, rather than let Torbin say a thing.

"Quiet, trash. It's bad enough you got picked off the street to mess our building, you shouldn't be getting any treatment other than to do the jobs no one else deserves to dirty their hands with." Vius retorted with his own insult, being a lot ruder than before by far.

"I'm gonna en-"

"Sir Richard, quiet speaking!" Torbin cut off Richard, taking him by surprise. He got louder than he had before in an instant. His attention was finally faced toward Vius, who showed no intention of backing down, but was stopped in his tracks.

"I don't know what is going through your head, but I can overlook this little problem if you let this filth wallow in the dirt by himself." Vius was holding nothing back, a sudden burst of confidence coming from him.

"I don't want or need your opinion on what I should do. Keep your suggestions to yourself and I will do what I please. There's nothing you can do that will endanger my position." Torbin was, by far, the most intimidating of the three. He was not only the oldest by a couple years, but his Nordic origin made his entire body more pronounced and gave his voice a much louder carry to it. Vius' Imperial background didn't make him as threatening, rather just able to keep his cool a little better. Richard had the weakest of the three in both stature and basic body type. His largely Breton origin made his body look a little too frail, a disadvantage in most situations.

"That's true, but rumors spread fast and no one will believe the one they are about or a mangy dog about them being false. This is your decision?" Vius didn't come to physically fight, not armed with anything other than the traditional casual outfit the budding soldiers wore outside the training grounds. He only came to get Torbin, in this case, not succeeding.

"It is. Go do whatever you want." Torbin showed his true colors, standing up to someone who arguably had more pull with their peers. Richard wanted to say something, but Torbin raised his claymore to almost block Richard physically. Vius huffed and started back the way he came. When the snooty Imperial boy was gone, Torbin pulled his weapon back to his side.

"You should have gone. You can probably still catch up." It was a heartfelt sentiment from Richard, a rare occurrence in comparison to the large amount of sarcasm or negativity he spoke on average.

"I believe in Lord Akatosh. Vius is not the one that is mean to be my companion, so he is not threatening in the slightest. Now, get back to training and don't hold back!" Torbin regained his fighting stance, Richard doing so a moment after as well. The two continued for a couple hours until the sun had reached the horizon, signaling for them to return to the city.


	6. Chapter 4

"Sir Richard! You might be doing what you want, but I cannot have you not knowing when food is still fresh or not." Erica held her basket securely on the inside of her elbow. She had a stern look to her normal errand buddy when he was not busy doing the not-so-secret training. Since Vius seen Torbin and Richard sparring, it was known by quite a bit of the members of the followers of Akatosh in Wayrest that Richard was receiving secret training. Since then, more than a handful of other nosey members seen the two sparring. Despite it being widely known, Richard hasn't been approached by the Arms master of the Sanctuary. On the other hand, Torbin has thankfully not been penalized, either, despite Vius' best efforts to try and make it so. Vius seemed to have an unnecessary hostility towards Richard.

"I don't do this a lot, Erica. I figured it would be okay since it is being sold." Erica sighed at the response yet giving a smile.

"You have used that excuse so much, but I will eventually teach you the difference." Richard rolled his eyes at Erica's mix of a motherly and spouse-like attitude. The only ones who didn't see it at a daily basis were the newer members or unobservant members.

"I doubt that but good luck." Erica looked around her, observing the many shops present.

"How about…I have you pick something up that cannot spoil. We need to get some things for making new fabrics and the like. Take this list and gold. I'll meet you back here by the time you are done!" Erica pushed both items into Richard's hands, sending him off on his own. He knew better than to deny her, not that he minded doing tasks she asked of him most times.

"Fine, I will be back here soon." Richard wasn't new to the market area, both because of his experience as a follower of Akatosh, as well as his past as a less fortunate individual. He still vividly remembered his life before the gods themselves gave him the…blessing of this lifestyle. At least back to a point, which basically ran back to when he first was forced to beg on the streets.

* * *

"Some places are having trouble dealing with the threats coming from everywhere in Tamriel." A woman behind Richard spoke in a casual but whispered tone as he browsed. His attention was immediately taken away from the fetch errand he was asked to do by Erica to instead absorb what he was hearing. His years as a beggar drilled into him to eavesdrop when something caught his interest.

"I would think so. The Elves trying to get everything, and the Empire is basically gone. Who knows what will happen." Another voice added into the conversation, not as quiet as the other.

"Probably all kinds of evil things coming out to take what they can. I doubt we will get touched, though." A third voice chimed in. One female and two males, with at least two having a Breton origin. The third sounded like he came from a different province. Whether he was a different race or just raised elsewhere, Richard wouldn't know. He had to keep up the façade of not purposely listening in.

"Do you think the Dark Brotherhood will try to get revenge on any of us? If any of them are left, of course." The event that took a big hit on Wayrest itself, the eradication of the Dark Brotherhood from High Rock as a whole. It was impossible to tell whether they were all slaughtered, though it was widely accepted there was no one from that organization left.

"I don't know who is going to go after who at this point. Altmer running around on a path of carnage, Dark Brotherhood probably wanting a lot of people dead, and revenge by relatives of some who have died before. That's not counting outside of this province, as well." The female spoke without a hushed voice, speaking like her male friends.

"You make it sound so bad. All I must worry about is a few people that I care about. Everyone else takes care of themselves. I am no High King or Emperor." Richard listened on after, but the three went on a tangent of something else that didn't matter to Richard in any way. Most people were definitely desperate, but it got Richard thinking. Who did he fell like he needed to protect?

* * *

A while later after actually finding what was on the list, Richard returned to where he left. Erica dutifully stood where she said she would be, Richard approaching her with a leather sack of goods he had to pick up and the gold he had left.

"You should not keep a girl waiting so long, Sir Richard! It is good to see you have gotten what you needed to, at least." Erica had her basket of produce filled to the rim. For a girl with a small frame, she could hold a surprising amount of items nonetheless. It could have been a trick of the mind, but what she was carrying looked rather heavy. Maybe she was getting training in her free time as well.

"I didn't keep you waiting, I took as long as I required. I don't have to meet Torbin today, I don't feel like straining myself." Richard held his arm out, the remaining gold in his palm. Erica took it, but Richard did not retract his arm. Erica tilted her head, smiling moments after.

"It is adorable you want to take the load off me, but I can handle this. You need to be rested for your session with Sir Torbin tomorrow." Richard didn't insist, giving a knowing 'hm' in response. With that, the two returned to their home.

* * *

Four months passed since the run in with Vius in the middle of Richard and Torbin's training session, meaning almost a year has passed in total of the two training together. In that time, Richard learned a lot, but Torbin still seemed to be leagues above the determined Breton. It might have been his innate strength as a Nord or his natural skill with weaponry or possibly some background with weapons. Richard was able to get something out of him of what he did before he started his pilgrimage. The Nord was still young, at least in his race's eyes, when he set out to go nowhere in particular in his path of purpose. He never felt fulfilled in what he was doing, which he said didn't have any combat aspects. He did get a lot of daily strength training, but it didn't consist of swinging a weapon or covering himself in heavy armor. He didn't have any real idea what he was going to do in his life, questioning where his life was going doing whatever he was doing before. When he left for his pilgrimage at the young age of 19, which was not unheard of at all for a Nord, he told Richard that the only path that was revealed was straight with no end in sight. It was hard to get any real personal information out of a person who chose not to disclose it. In fact, Richard only told Torbin himself the bare minimum of what he did before the two first saw each other at the Chapel of Akatosh. Torbin knew Richard was a beggar with not knowing what happened to his parents. It wasn't less information out of the Breton than the Nord in comparison.

"You are improving quickly, especially your form. I am thrilled to see you are taking my advice to heart." Torbin held his claymore in one hand, point towards Richard. Richard held his familiar longsword in both hands, breathing a little shallow but not nearly as bad as when he started. He still had yet to get the stamina his trainer possessed.

"I am using it, but I wouldn't say I am using everything you taught me. Some is not necessary for my type of fighting." Torbin fought with heavy, two-handed weapons. Although he could typically heft them around with one hand until he started losing his strength. Richard, meanwhile, kept his arsenal to longswords or lighter blades. He didn't use smaller weapons like daggers and disliked the blunt style like maces. He would use weapons similar to swords like axes or katanas if he was in a tight spot, but heavily favored the traditional light arms. It was clear how much natural talent Torbin possessed with being able to use most weapon types with relative ease, not excelling in any. Most warriors in training started with blades, either heavy or light.

"I do not expect you to use everything, especially not exactly how I show you. You need to make your own style over your training course. What do you say we stop a little early today? I feel like it would be best with how much I have worked you and you can not let yourself be strained over what you can handle." Richard was not one for agreeing to something as trivial as a short day, but he had to agree he was getting tired quicker every day. Torbin drilled into his head the basic practices all warriors should adopt. These weren't meant to be changed, as every fighter needed to watch specific things. One that was very important was knowing the limits of one's body. It was good to train a warrior's body over time, but it would be dangerous to overwork the body. Torbin made sure Richard knew that, specifically choosing time limits for their sessions and ending them when he could see certain signs in who he was helping.

"If you feel like it is best, I won't argue. When will we be meeting next, then?" Richard laxed his grip on the handle of his blade and his stance straightened to a normal standing position. Torbin barely moved, his normal stance not varying much from his fighting posture. Torbin chuckled at Richard's response.

"You are eager, aren't you? How about you just relax yourself until I can figure something out. I'll tell you when we next meet in a day or two, Sir Richard." Richard didn't argue once again, much like with Erica, but for different reasons.

"That sounds fine with me. I am not going to be sitting the whole time, though." Torbin stepped up to stand beside Richard, the two making a much more casual environment.

"That is good. Keep working your body out while waiting, of course. I don't want to see you get lazy. Come on, I'm starving, didn't eat enough this morning." Richard legitimately smiled at Torbin, getting more used to the Nord's sense of humor and his company.

"You never eat enough unless you have twice as much as everybody else."

"I am a big man, can't help it. Maybe you will understand what it is like to have to supply a big body at some point." It was a witty retort by a Nord, his time on is pilgrimage seeming to soften him out of his straight-faced Nord ways some.

"I think I am good with not eating as much as you. I doubt I could pay for all the food I'd need at that point." Torbin huffed and the two walked back to the building of Akatosh.

* * *

The two hadn't quite arrived at their home when a small commotion could be heard in the direction. Torbin and Richard exchanged confused looks, speeding up their speed to get back. It was not long ago that a tragedy almost befell Wayrest, taking some innocent lives but that seemed to raise more concern. Instead, this seemed to be focused in one place.

"Where in Oblivion have you two been?!" A loud woman spoke from the front of the large building that housed the followers of Akatosh. It was the woman who commonly got on Richard's back about everything from the day he was accepted into the ranks of one of the Nine Divines.

"We've been out. What is going on?" The woman wasn't looking at Richard initially, shooting him a glare towards him since he answered.

"You should know! It's your fault!" Torbin instead came up first to respond with a surprisingly commanding voice to someone like the woman who was in front of them.

"Whatever is going on, I doubt it is the fault of Sir Richard's. I would like to know what is going on, Miss." The woman cringed, moving aside as she explained everything they knew so far.

* * *

The two were told there was a Master Vampire in the training area in the exterior back of the building. He wanted to see Richard and had a hostage, ready to kill them any second. That was all the monster was willing to say, most people taking shelter in the building but still staying close to the door. Richard and Torbin came into the scene that was described, but there was one difference. It was a huge difference to the two men.

"Another two pests? You came just in time to watch this little girl lose her life. It won't go to waste, of course." The vampire had Erica held hard in his grip, almost strangling her with one hand and the other seemingly against her back with a prepared spell or just ready to impale her. Vampires were not strangers to using their innate claws to kill their prey if spells or weapons were a hassle. The vampires glowing, red eyes of the attacker were clear in its intent in most cases. Erica was fidgeting in the vampire's grasp, not enough to get self-harmed but enough to keep the vampire from letting her get a full breath. The vampire had a very ornate outfit on, dark in color and close to the vampire's form. Both the coat on the top and the pants below with a pointed coattail that still stayed close to the vampire's body.

"Sir Richard…what is the plan?" Torbin didn't make a move for his weapon, instead staring the opponent down. Richard, on the other hand, had his weapon raised and dangerously focused. Despite that, the vampire didn't look to feel threatened in the slightest.

"He dies." Richard gripped his weapon tightly, but Torbin walked in front of him before he could try anything rash.

"Sir Richard don't be an idiot! You are already forgetting everything I taught you and you should know that even then, normal weapons can barely scratch a creature like that." The onlookers that were watching since the start had a large distance between themselves and the vampire. Even the fighters that trained daily looked to have done nothing.

"If I am hearing correctly, you are all I am here for. Not that this little tramp will get out alive, still." Torbin turned and Richard pushed past the overshadowing Nord.

"What are you talking about now?!" Richard screamed at the interruption. Maybe that woman outside got told something in truth.

"I need you dead and then there will be nothing left to worry about. Simple enough. Now, come on over quickly." Erica suddenly started screaming in pain, her torso being pushed forward but the vampires grip looked to be getting tighter. Richard lowered his stance, ready to charge the creature, still being held back by Torbin, though.

"Don't do anything stupid, Richard!" Torbin nearly threw Richard back when the disturbed Breton tried to push forward. It was also the first time he was not called 'Sir' by a respectable member.

"What do you mean you want me dead?!" Nonetheless, Richard disregarded Torbin's attempts to keep him away from the threat. Unfortunately, Torbin was still physically stronger, able to keep Richard from moving forward. All the while, Erica continued to scream in pain. Her neck had had a few drips of red originating from underneath the vampire's hand. Torbin had a grimace of emotional pain at holding Richard back but not budging an inch in his actions.

"One more chance before this sheep gets a hole in her chest. I doubt it will live through that. Come here and maybe I'll let it go with most of its body together after I rip yours apart." The vampire had the upper hand by far. The only option was to try to trick him to let Erica free before she was hurt more.

"Remember, use whatever element you feel first. Focus it to your hands, Miss Erica." Miss Alvechi strolled calmly through the crowd, no one stopping her. Richard broke his attention from his captive closest friend to glare at the older woman. Miss Alvechi didn't bother to notice Richards look, her eyes watching Erica, but doing nothing.

"What are you prattling on about?!" Richard growled, his eyes trying to intimidate the reason from the elder. Before he could continue his useless attempts, a loud screech could be heard from the direction of Erica and the vampire. All eyes were glued on the situation there once again.

"Ahh, you disposable cattle bitch!" The master vampire was being damaged by a huge wave of fire being sent against the vampire's waist by Erica's hands. It was spreading fast and the both clothing and skin underneath was being visibly charred. The vampire reacted quickly, throwing Erica away but not in a gentle way. She continued to assault the vampire with her fire, moving up the body of the being even as her damaged body hit against the ground.

"Remember the advice I've been giving you, Sir Richard!" Torbin finally let Richard go, Richard lurching forward at the sudden freedom. Seeing as Erica was free, Richard's adrenaline seemed to dissipate very quickly now. The only situation still around was the vampire who Torbin seemed to fixate on now.

"No more playing around, I'm shredding everyone here! The inadequate Cumberland's will be eradicated today!" The vampire was healing slightly, but not fast enough to successfully negate Erica's fire damage. Her flames were getting visibly weaker, though.

"Cumberland's? They are all dead already…" Richard was losing his motivation to fight, stance getting laxer. He has not yet fought a real enemy, only Torbin. As expected, Torbin wasn't trying to physically damage and Richard was doing the same towards Torbin. This undead being was the opposite of a passive opponent.

"Spout whatever you want. I'll keep your mouth shut permanently." Torbin lifted his claymore in one hand, impressively sprinting to close the distance between the vampire and himself. Erica finally stopped with her assault with the elements, leaving Torbin to meet the undead head on. He wasn't going to fall in one swing but he at least it kept his hands busy. The vampires flesh sizzled as Torbin swung sideways and his free hand grabbed for the body of the being. It wasn't a tactical move, rather one that was meant to be predictable. Taking on a vampire, no matter the rank or skill, was much more powerful than a human in just about every way. The vampire hastily caught both the heavy blade and Torbin's own fist. Unlike Erica, Torbin was more than able to hold his own without being easily beaten. The blade didn't damage the vampire's body right away, as it was not silver or a more advanced metal. The vampire's body would be penetrated eventually if more than one person would help. The numbers and odds were heavily against whatever was against a vampire, within reason.

"You can't harm me, Nord cattle! I'll be sure to keep you alive to feed on, you'll last for a long time." The vampire was enhanced by his curse was stronger than Torbin's natural strength, but the two weren't far apart in their differences.

"I am not trying to." Torbin pushed back harder, not giving or a second.

' _Richard, you will strike the enemy down or lose your friends…'_ A voice soft voice spoke, one like he heard quite long ago. It was quiet, which would be impossible for him to hear if it were human and said by someone in the crowd watching. It was the Aedra who spoke to him before, only letting Richard himself hear her.

'I can't do a thing against a vampire. If Torbin and Erica can do nothing more than make him stumble, I can do nothing than hold him off for more than another few moments.' Richard spoke back, thinking in his head rather than speaking out loud. The only other time he was spoken to by Akatosh, she was gone before he could say anything back. At the very least, he wouldn't look like a crazed fool if he didn't get a response this time.

' _You will not strike alone. If your conviction is strong enough, I will allow you to use a fraction of the power I possess. You will make your first attack the only one.'_ Akatosh spoke back this time, although Richard didn't know if it was the only way he could talk to her. Either way, she was not wanting to waste any time. It was not surprising, since Torbin was only barely holding the vampire back for seconds longer.

"My conviction only extends to the few I hold close to me. If that is not enough, then I will die alongside them!" Richard held his sword firmly in his hands, gripping the handle until his knuckles were white. He wasn't sure what would show if Akatosh truly held her word, but it could be anything from flashy to instant. Either way, Richard remembered what he could from Torbin's training in the moment. He moved his sword to only his dominant hand, his right, and got a running start towards his first true opponent.

' _Hold that belief in your heart and you will not fail, Sir Richard of Cumberland.'_ Richard was a few large strides from the vampire when he extended his weapon to his right and it showed the results of his unbreakable motivation. The blade, despite being made of iron only, showed completely different in the high sun of High Rock. The blade seemed to grow to the size of a broadsword and had the sheen of the very sun itself. It looked to be emitting a bright glow, much brighter than even the most polished of blades could reach. The hilt and handle matched the proportions and had red detailing. Unfortunately, nothing specific could be taken from it seeing as everything about the weapon looked to be made of light itself. Torbin looked back just enough to see Richard approach with the mystical weapon in his hand. One final push against the vampire was all it took to set it up for death. The vampire itself reeled back when he was pushed, putting his arms up to protect himself. By the time he was thinking he would live, Richard had his mysterious blade of light coming down on the vampire's body. One attack was all it took as Akatosh said, the blade cutting through the vampire's body diagonally starting from the right like butter. Richard felt no resistance in his arm as he finished his swing until the ground stopped the weapon. It was silent as the battle sounds died down, the adrenaline not receding yet. Richard stood tall immediately, looking at the unmoving body in front of him. The vampire had an expression of pain on his face, yet no sound was coming from him. He stood with a glowing line directly through him where the blade of light cut. A special detail was that the vampires clothing was completely untouched, not damaged by the sword, but the flesh was the opposite. The tense feeling only lasted for a few seconds before the vampire's body got quickly covered in the light that permeated the cut line, the flesh turning to dust. Only the clothing and whatever else the vampire was carrying fell to the ground in front of Richard on top of the vampire's ashes. The adrenaline didn't dissipate from Richard's body late until Torbin approached alongside the victorious warrior.

"I don't know what you did, Sir Richard, but that was not an illusion spell." Torbin kicked the clothes off the ashes slightly to make sure there was nothing but remains from the undead.

"I only wanted to keep you and Erica alive." Richard jumped suddenly, dropping his weapon and turning to see Erica was motionless. The onlookers were unmoving and staring, but not making a move to give any assistance. Richard closed the distance between himself and his friend within a small number of large steps. He didn't want to move Erica right away, inspecting her to see if she had any major injuries. He had to idea what it looked like when someone was truly injured, and every stain of blood got him more and more worried. The girl had a large spot in the middle of her back from where the monster had one of his hands. He wasn't going to strip the girl to see the full extent of her injury, he could see she had a hole in her robe. The vampire had begun to penetrate her skin with his hand. It looked to be a couple inches deep, at least. Quickly and clumsily, he scanned the rest of her body. Her robe was uncharacteristically ragged from being thrown around, ripped in places like where she had been held. Richard and Torbin had not been at the building right when the vampire had first arrived, meaning there could be damage that he was not seeing. The biggest problems came when Erica was faced with her closed eyes and flushed face generally looking his way. The arms on her robes were ripped and blood made it clear it wasn't by accident or done gently. The worst came when Erica's face fell backwards. A quick reaction to catch it revealed the damage was already done. Where she was being held and threatened with being killed was a show of great distress. Her neck had a good number of deep scratches going the length of the front and into the side. Down her neck towards her chest was caked with a large amount of blood.

"Is everyone going to just stand there while Erica is possibly bleeding to death?!" The onlookers exchanged glances, but seemingly had no intention of stepping up. Richard was furious, thinking they were holding some type of grudge. Miss Alvechi was the one to step up after a moment, getting to her knees in front of Richard and the unconscious, or worse, Erica.

"Not everyone here has a way to do anything, Sir Richard. In fact, most members here only carry novice level magic abilities and we do not stockpile potions. Hold her while I do my job." Richard gripped her arms, holding her in place while Miss Alvechi simply closed her eyes. Still, Richard was getting angrier until out of nowhere, a ball of softly shimmering light flowed out of both hands of the older woman. With one smooth movement, Miss Alvechi's hands laid above the unconscious Erica. She was being progressively bathed in the bright energy. It was clearly restoration magic and, despite Richard not being injured, he felt a tingle from being the area of the spell. It was a high-level ability and it took a skilled user to utilize it. The marks from the previous fight were closing rather slowly, especially the ones on her neck. It was no doubt taking a lot to provide this level of healing, proven when Miss Alvechi's hands stopped supplying the healing wave. She pulled her hands back to Richard's dismay. The marks from her injuries were lessened, but not gone by a long shot.

"Is she alright? Will she be okay? How much longer until she is completely healed? Why did you stop?" Richard bombarded the elder member with questions, silenced by a look from the woman.

"She is fine. Unsurprisingly, unconscious and very hurt, but not gone. It will take a couple days for me to finish healing her wounds. It takes a lot of magicka and energy to keep up a master level spell, Sir Richard." Richard swallowed and looked down. He didn't completely comprehend the concept of magic. He didn't use it, but knew it existed. He might have used something like it when he attacked the vampire, but he couldn't be sure. In fact, he only felt rage flaring up in him during that moment.

"Then that's okay. Thank you, Miss Alvechi." It was a rare thing to hear Richard actually thank somebody, only a couple others hearing it about them.

"I am thankful someone made a motion to help her, Sir Richard. I would ask you one more thing: If you can take her to her room? I assume you know where it is?" Richard felt a slightly burning in his body, embarrassment rising in him a little. He did know where she slept and knew her room more than well enough. It wasn't because he peeked, but rather Erica was not timid to let him into her personal space. She was a friendly person, but only a select dozen got to willingly enter her room. Richard certainly wasn't the first and he certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Of course, but please don't let anyone know. I don't want her to get in trouble after this crisis." Miss Alvechi nodded, standing up and going back into the building. Some of the onlookers were not paying attention to Richard anymore, but a heavy amount of whispering was going around between the groups that had formed. Richard silently lifted Erica, surprisingly carefully taking the still unconscious girl to her bed.

The walk to Erica's room was thankfully quiet, as only a few people were walking around the building. They might have been looking to see if there were any stragglers or if the vampire had brought any friends. It would be quite a disaster if more than one had come, especially since Richard couldn't feel the energy to make the ability come again.

"That was a special thing you did, and I am proud, Sir Richard." Torbin had followed Richard after he had successfully scouted the rest of the grounds and the inside with the few others who didn't feel completely frozen by intimidation or worry. He didn't need to be told where Richard was, as he saw the previously unknown Breton take Erica.

"I don't know what I did. I only did it because no one else was going to help you or Erica." Richard had set Erica in her bed without knowing what else he should have done. He wasn't going to unclothe and clean her, not wanting to disrespect her or get her to completely disgusted with him.

"I figured that, but that doesn't change the fact you did something spectacular. I have never seen that before, not even from my trainer. You used an enchanted iron weapon to kill a vampire with no more than one slice." If anyone were to be able to make sense with what happened before and after, no one would be more trusted than Torbin in Richard's eyes.

"You said you heard Akatosh before. She…sort of motivated me before I attacked. I don't know for sure, but maybe…she had something to do with it?" Richard was expecting a response from the Nord calling him crazy. Getting help from the Aedra was not possible, nor was it sane. There was such a thing of a blessing, but not a weapon. The only weapons possibly from a God were the Deadra or Auriel.

"I wouldn't doubt it. That wasn't something a mortal could make, not even the elves with their style of smithing." Torbin could have been playing along or believed that Akatosh had a hand in the previous battle, but it made Richard feel a little better. "I told you before, I heard Lord Akatosh before. You are just blessed for a specific reason, Richard Cumberland." A tingle went down Richard's spine at the reference of what the vampire had mentioned before as well.

"It is not a long shot to assume you know about the previous High King Emeric Cumberland. No one really knows what happened to him, but he ruled in the second Era. That was almost 1,000 years ago. How can I be a descendant from that long and be in this position?" It was the one reason Richard could think of quickly why he wasn't related to the previous High King's legacy. He wasn't born into a loving and rich family, he was born into normality at the most and was reduced to begging after something happened to his parents. The vampire had said something about eradicating the Cumberland Family, in fact. Although if he is a member of that lineage, maybe that meant something to his past. The thing that was casted in shadow in his memory was what happened before he started really begging.

"Not everyone is born into luxury that gets there in the end, Sir Richard. I have no doubts that the vampire is telling the truth. I assume Lord Akatosh believes the same, at least I hope that is true." Richard sighed. He had to think more, a lot more before making any kind of decision on anything that came after this.

"Torbin, can I take a few days off of the training to get some things straight?" It seemed reasonable to ask of that after fighting a vampire and witnessing the closest person to him almost dying.

"You have one day, Sir Richard. I would like to give you more, but if you want to think, do it while you are practicing. I will tell you why the day after tomorrow and I expect you to be at the location like always." Torbin left, with a confused face of Richard being the last thing that he saw in Erica's room. With him gone, he was left to ponder a bit before having to leave. How not thinking about fighting while fighting was a good idea escaped him.

* * *

The next days were long, much longer than any others. Everyday, Richard checked up on Erica's progress. Someone had replaced her clothing and whatever else had blood stains. Unsurprisingly, the articles were not cleaned but rather burnt right away. The blood of a vampire held the vampirism disease. The vampire itself didn't bleed in the fight, but a person could get a disease just from contact with a vampire of any level. The best option was to get rid of any traces of blood after encountering any strain of vampirism infected being. It took but a day for Miss Alvechi to finish completely healing Erica of her wounds, but there was a few that persisted as scars afterwards. Most noticeably, the ones that lined her neck had a scar on them. Erica was forced to keep herself in bed after the ordeal for a day to ensure she was in good health. When it was proven she was okay, her cheerful self was thankfully unchanged.

That was not the only thing Richard pondered over. He thought about the vampire's claim of the lineage of the young Breton. If there was even the smallest chance he was related to the one of the few High King's who seemed to be chosen despite not being born into the position and some say was chosen by Godly influence. High King Emeric was trained in his younger years in just about every trade necessary to be a great figure. His deeds were not to be understates in any way, ranging from fending off an army at the gates of Wayrest, with help, and forming the Daggerfall Covenant. A man of high stature, respect, strength, and so many other things. It was quite a claim, by himself or someone else, if he were to be told to be related to a house like that.

"Sir Richard, we are finished for the day. Have you been here or elsewhere?" Richard snapped back to reality, his weapon at the ready and Torbin as well.

"I was thinking about other things. The last couple of days haven't been easy." It was obvious to everyone. The building was much more silent when Richard walked, whether the groups of people were whispering or not.

"I can imagine. Let us return, there is no telling what will be there when we return at this point." Torbin and Richard did that very thing, walking back quickly. Torbin did do what he could to keep the silence in small portions, not wanting to show that it was a good thing to keep your questions or feelings inside. Torbin didn't bring up the subject to the vampire, rather talking about other things that were much less important as well as much less focused on a single topic. Being around Erica might have influenced that in him.


	7. Chapter 5

"Sir Torbin, why do you keep Sir Richard out for so long? He has much more to do here and just because he fought something, he cannot get out of it." Erica's voice made Richard sigh. He missed it for the couple of days he had limited talking time with the young girl. Erica turned from her current duty of keeping the books in the building organized and on the shelves.

"I apologize, Miss Erica. Sir Richard just has a lot to balance right now, so you should give him some time before getting on his back." Erica scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"I cannot do that, Sir Torbin. He needs good instructors and I am not going to give him more slack than he already has." Erica wanted to sound commanding, but Richard and Torbin could both see through the act. She was not good at giving orders to friends.

"Like how you have your own training on your time off, Miss Erica?" Erica shuddered, her hands immediately being removed from her hips to instead be put together. She opened her mouth several times to speak before doing so. She was nervous about something.

"I can balance my training and other things, unlike you two. Jeez, you boys are such a menace." Erica huffed, turning to continue with her books before being interrupted. Richard couldn't connect what was being said right away, only remembering what she did in the fight when it was mentioned.

"Where did you learn your magic, Erica?" Erica sighed in defeat, Torbin giving away her only chance of getting out of being questioned by the person who didn't want to know about her outside activities. It was not a concern he had to bother with on top of everything else.

"Miss Alvechi has been showing me the art of magic for a while. Even before you arrived, I was being shown smaller things. Sir Richard, you do not know a lot about me personally, but I think I want to tell you a few things that are very personal. Sir Torbin, you can stay-" Torbin cut Erica off quickly when his name was mentioned, already assuming what the girl was about to say.

"I will not stay, Miss Erica. I appreciate the gesture, but I have things I have to do. We can talk another time." Erica was going to argue, but Torbin took his chance to leave quickly. The two were alone, making Richard feel a little nervous, if only because this was going to be a lot of personal information on Erica. The two got settled on Erica's newly furnished bed, Richard staying completely silent. He didn't know what to say, if it was even best to say anything.

"You remembered when we first met, right? It was awkward to say the least." Richard did remember a little of how they met, only the larger parts sticking out in his mind.

"It wasn't that bad. You were a little friendlier at the start than I would have expected." Erica giggled at the response.

"No, before that, silly. It has been a while, but we first met on that day I talked to you on the street." Richard had a confused look, remembering an event of a man talking to him on the street. Erica knew right away that Richard remembered just about nothing. "I was that 'man' who spoke to you under the hood. I hid my face and used a little bit of illusion magic taught by Miss Alvechi to mask my voice. It took a lot and took a while to utilize effectively, but that was the first time I had used magic around you. Did you not find it odd that when I revealed myself, I was a woman instead of a man?"

"It has been so long since then. I had forgotten, but you are right. It was unusual." There wasn't a lot Richard could say other than what he could remember at that moment. It will still fuzzy but coming back slowly. "How do you learn it so quickly?"

"That is because I am an Altmer. Rather, half Altmer, or less. I never did figure out how much I was." Richard was wearing a confused face yet again. He never did notice Erica's skin color until now, donning a washed-out yellow color that was a far cry from the Altmer's vibrant natural skin.

"You are only part Altmer? That means one of your parents were not of the same race." Erica nodded, standing up. Richard made the motion to as well, but Erica stopped him from doing so. He was ready to go out of surprise with her next action. She dropped her robe in front of him, revealing herself underneath the fabrics.

"Yes, I am unsure of the other part I come from, but I have my suspicions." Erica seemed unfazed at being down to her panties and bra in the presence of Richard, who was the exact opposite of her. Richard was nervously looking her up and down but glancing towards her door as well. If anybody were to enter and see the scene, there was no telling what could happen. The only guarantee was Richard would be kicked out of what he could consider his home after the time it has been.

"Erica, shouldn't you put that back on? I see what you mean, but this doesn't look good." Erica walked closer to Richard, looking genuinely worried and, for once, sad.

"Sir Richard, am I odd looking to you? I have been told many times that I am not normal, a freak for having two parents from different places…" Richard jumped off the bed at the question. His hands gripped both of Erica's arms. A lot of the wounds she sustained on her body had caused scars, even the shallow ones. She might have had sensitive or thin skin, physically speaking. She didn't mentally or emotionally if what she was saying was true.

"Of course not! Erica, Bretons are no different from you. I might now remember my personal heritage, but I know about the Breton's. We come from a mix of races as well. You are absolutely beautiful in my eyes, more beautiful than anyone else I have met before. This only makes you and I more similar." Erica lit up like a beacon at the compliment, tears forming in her eyes. She embraced Richard, hugging his neck tightly and keeping her body close to his.

"Thank you, Sir Richard. I know you might just be saying this to make me feel better but thank you so much." Richard embraced the young girl back, his hands brushing against the wound on her back. It made a noticeable scar, just from the feeling of it, and caused Erica to shudder against him.

"I mean it. You are the first person I have come to want the presence of and since then, it seems I met people who I can actually call friends. You are wonderful in every way." Erica looked at Richard, the eyes of the two meeting. Erica leaned in and began kissing Richard directly. He didn't think about what to do, rather letting his emotions take over this once. The two then engaged in a deep kiss, lasting for a long time. Erica shuffled a bit in his arms, and Richard took it as a sign to let her move a little more freely. With the less inhibited movement, Erica's hands began to move about Richard's back.

"I don't want to intrude and genuinely hope I am not disturbing anything, but I need to see Sir Richard immediately." A quick couple of knocks and the voice of Torbin came through the door. It was a shock, freezing Richard and Erica in the act. Erica quickly and clumsily fumbled her robe back on, not trying to make it look good again. Her only concern was to cover herself up, with Richard going to the door to make sure Torbin didn't open it. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have any intention to enter the room.

"One moment, Sir Torbin!" Erica was able to re-cloth herself, although the door was still firmly closed.

"I don't need to enter, just send Sir Richard out, please." Torbin didn't hide his haste in the voice of his request. The Nord didn't stay, either, being heard clearly to have moved away somewhere else.

"Well…that could have been worse." Richard turned to see a bright red Erica, still clearly nervous and embarrassed. Still, she controlled her actions without reacting without thinking in this situation.

"I-I think you should go see what Sir Torbin wanted. He would not have been so quick to speak without being answered." Richard nodded, giving Erica a quick hug before leaving.

* * *

Richard didn't know where Torbin had gone, although he didn't make it hard to find him. The impatient man gestured for Richard to follow, with Richard not defying the sign. Richard emerged from the familiar back doors leading to where the fighters trained on an almost daily basis. It was empty entirely of people except for Torbin and an angry Redguard man. Torbin was not standing beside the man, rather in front of him. It was no stretch of the imagination to assume that the person standing with his arms behind his back was a trainer, if not higher in rank. Even with Torbin's muscular build and natural height advantage over a large portion of the races, except for possibly some of the Altmer, he was not wearing a very confident look. When Richard arrived beside Torbin, he tried to confidently, although it was clear there was hesitation, turn to look at the Redguard.

"I will get straight to the point. I have caught wind that you, Richard, was getting outside training by Torbin. This is not allowed by the rules laid out, and both of you have very clearly failed to end the meetings before it was too late. For that, you are against the edge of being pushed out of this haven for followers of Akatosh. You have also shown a massive amount of disrespect for some of the other warriors. One specifically is Vius, who has-" Richard interrupted the Redguard, who was probably the Grandmaster of the fighters, judging by his professionalism. His speech also eluded to a very clear association with the ones that had a major part in the building's operations and rules.

"He has disrespected my and others that have been around me! He should b-" Unfortunately, Richard didn't get everything out that he could before a voice bellowed well over his own.

"YOU WILL NOT INTERRUPT ME AND WILL NOT SHOW DISRESPECT TO ME!" It was clear and concise. The man had things to say, and he wasn't going to let Richard stop him. Torbin stayed silent, head dropping a little at the volume of the voice. He wasn't screaming, rather just letting his voice project and sound louder. Richard was completely silenced by the commanding presence. "One specifically is Vius, who has voiced his problems with your actions of late. NOW you may try to defend yourself, Torbin." Torbin stepped forward, leveling his eyes to meet the Redguard's.

"I have done what I felt was right, Grandmaster Behldun. I am completely committed to the other members and warriors, but I must do what I feel is right in some cases. I ask for a chance at redemption." The Redguard was apparently named Behldun and was indeed the leader of the initiate fighters. His gaze went away from Torbin, who promptly stepped back immediately after losing eye contact, and landed on Richard. Richard was quiet, but he was still heated for sure. His attitude directly clashed with most authoritative figures, this man was no exception.

"You have a chance to speak BUT keep it respectful. Despite what your feelings are towards who you are speaking of, do not show any disrespect towards the other followers. Everybody that are under the Divines should be respectful except in very specific and special situations." Richard tried to really think about what that meant but could not think of how to phrase his words in a reverent manner.

"Vius, like most of the ones that walk around high and mighty around this place, has no respect for me. I did nothing, but he still does what he can ridicule me. I will treat him as he treats me, simple as that." Behldun and Richard locked eyes, neither giving up showing who was the dominant man. Eventually, the silence was the deciding factor. Richard sneered at the persistence, looking to see Torbin looking at him with wide eyes. "What?" The one-word question came out as much more aggressive than what should have been.

"That conviction is impressive, although I will not allow you to act your own way because you feel it is right. Neither of you are correct in my eyes and would be reprimanded harshly for your actions." Behldun answered, fueling Richard's growing rebellious actions. He wasn't speaking to the Redguard, but he took the chance to insert himself.

"So, kick me out!" A retaliation didn't even take a moment to come out of Richard.

"You act like you speak for Torbin as well. What do you feel is adequate punishment for what you did, Torbin?" Richard's expression only got more hostile, although he did keep himself restrained for Torbin's sake.

"I…I also feel like expulsion is punishment enough, Grandmaster Behldun."

"I see. Then there is nothing else that can be done. Torbin and Richard, you will each be given special instructions starting tomorrow. I will expect you to arrive on time and with proper equipment. Torbin, you are to bring Richard with you and more will be told then. Understood?" Torbin and Richard expected the worst, although their confused expressions replaced the worry with misunderstanding. "Understood?!" Behldun spoke louder, prompting an answer more forcefully.

"Uh, yes, Grandmaster." Torbin answered first, a clear hint of hesitation in the Nord's voice. Behldun's eyes jumped from Torbin to Richard.

"Sure." It was the only thing Richard said. Behldun cringed but took the responses and left the two men standing with each other in complete confusion.

"I…would recommend going to sleep right away. I'll grab you early." Torbin didn't move but gave a simple set of suggestions. Richard shrugged, moving first.

"That's probably best. I'll have to tell Erica when I get the chance."

* * *

"Sir Richard, come on! You can't blow this off already!" Torbin was pushing the groggy Richard around the bed. It was very early, much earlier than Richard would have gotten up normally, and the frustration of the scenario was clear. Despite everything that happened with the Redguard Grandmaster, Richard didn't let the situation affect him at all. It could be considered a blessing and a curse at the same time. The Cumberland lineage has always been a line of ruler's worthy of many things, which made the question get raised with Richard's behavior: Was it true or just some kind of joke by the Aedra?

"Leave already…I will get there eventually…" An expected answer from the person who was only showing that he was an active lay about.

"No, Sir Richard. It's yours and my ass on the line, and I am not going to let this start off this way. Get up!" Torbin grabbed Richard by the shirt and yanked the young man directly onto the floor. He wasn't playing around anymore. A loud thud accompanied the action, making it clear that there was no way Richard could still try to act asleep.

"Fine, I'm awake! I swear on the name of Akatosh Erica showed you how to push my buttons!" Richard growled. Torbin, on the other hand, had a large grin on his face.

"That is a possibility. You do have to remember she isn't around you every minute of the day, Sir Richard. I will expect you to be at the grounds within a few minutes." With that, the Nord finally left the disgruntled sleeper to himself. Unfortunately, Richard knew he couldn't get back to sleep at this point. Not only that, Torbin got insight on how else he could terrorize Richard from the only other person who could get under his skin so easily.

"I'll get her to lay off eventually…I think." Like Torbin wanted, Richard was in his practice suit he was used to wearing, standing at the front of the doors leading to the training grounds for warriors. With a push, the light entered the doorway, illuminating him.

"Sir Richard, it's about time! Come, Grandmaster Behldun needs to see us immediately." Torbin was characteristically waiting close to the doorway. It took but seconds after Richard's name was heard for everybody to look to his way. As expected, the whispering started immediately after the gazes met Richard's figure. It was no mystery what was being said but Richard felt perfectly fine walking by the groups. While walking, his eyes glazed over the ever-increasing groups. In particular, he noticed Vius' expression shifting between confusion and anger. It was almost satisfying. Richard wasn't sure if Vius was around when the vampire came, as his only priority was Erica.

Behldun was in a building not that long of a distance away from the main building, the architecture and shape not much different than the main building. High Rock was a province that didn't feature a large diversity of styles, the populous not thinking too much about decoration first. The housing for the Aedra were no different. The short walk ended inside the building, making it perfectly clear what the space was used for. Behldun didn't live in the outside building by any amount, rather it housed a large number of weapons and armor. Richard was legitimately surprised at how much the warriors had to work with.

"Your timing is horrible. I expect better from you from now on. Torbin, I have questions for you. I demand only your answer to be heard." If anything was to be remembered about the previous conversation, Behldun was not one to be taken lightly when he gave orders. Behldun was inspecting the inventory, only taking small glimpses at the two.

"Of course, Grandmaster Behldun." Richard was one to protest everything, but even he was wise enough by now to know who he could do it to.

"You have been teaching Richard outside the limits of the city, correct?" Behldun was making it clear what this was about.

"Yes, Grandmaster Behldun."

"You have also taken some of the armaments to supply the lessons, correct?" Behldun was asking questions that either had obvious answers or were most likely already snitched about. Vius had seen the two before this, which is probably why they were getting asked before. That still didn't answer why they were given a second chance. Torbin hesitated for a moment before answering this time.

"Yes, Grandmaster Behldun."

"I see. Richard, you will now answer. I have one question for you, and it is imperative you give me any details you can recall. What was that weapon or ability you used on the vampire?" Behldun turned to stare directly at Richard, giving him his undivided attention. The details themselves were already not entirely known by Richard himself, but he could remember a few things. Unfortunately, the tension from being asked and pressured all the sudden made it hard for Richard to put it into words.

"I…It was not really a weapon. I mean, all I had was a regular sword. Akatosh said that I just had to have…purpose or something behind my actions. She was incredibly vague about it, so I don't know exactly what it was she said. It kind of blurred after that until the vampire was in a dust pile and-"

"Yes, then Miss Alvechi saved young Erica. I don't care about that part. I assume it was some divine intervention, although unexplained. Step out to the training area. I will be out momentarily. Do NOT make trouble and be ready." Behldun turned his attention to the armaments once again, leaving the two to think about what they were ordered to do. The looks of confusion continued, with the two young men to leave the detached building.

The groups outside split up, a few still speaking amongst themselves, with the larger amount continuing their sparring. When Richard and Torbin came out, the two got some short gazes from some of the fighters. The whispering groups almost seemed to be glaring at the apparent outcasts at this point. To no surprise, one of the groups included Vius. He looked like the most frustrated of all, no doubt seeing who he labeled as a nobody directed to be around them.

"What is Behldun's plan? You've been here longer than I have." Richard and Torbin were side by side, Richard breaking the murmured silence with his own question. Torbin was incredibly tense compared to the apparent prodigy.

"I have a very good idea what may happen. There is a test that is given to new recruits, and I have no doubt that you will be put through the same introduction." The information clearly perked Richard's interest, causing Richard to pick up the pace to nowhere in particular in the area.

"Then this will be no problem. I bet he's expecting me to be really bad. Oh well, this is going to be a bad decision for him." Torbin sighed, keeping himself silent. Richard was getting more and more anxious, although he didn't have to wait long for Behldun to emerge from the Armory building with a weapon of his own. In fact, he wielded two weapons originating from his own place of origin. Scimitars polished to a shine as well as adorned with colors close to the Dragon Aedra of Time, Akatosh. As well as that detail, Behldun also wore different equipment that was far from the consistent heavy, metal armor represented by the lower ranked warriors. Rather than it being a difference in experience, it was most likely the fact Behldun was a Redguard in origin. It was very surprising that he wore the colors of the Tamrielic Gods rather than keeping with his own pantheon. Richard was barely able to think about the reasons or backgrounds before Behldun pointed a sword at Richard, the other at his side at the ready, as he walked closer.

"There it is. Get your weapon ready, Sir Richard. You are on your own, so remember what I taught you. Grandmaster Behldun will not give you a warning on when he will start." Torbin quickly stepped back a fair distance and other members got a lot closer to where Torbin stopped. Vius' expression lit up instantly, pushing slower other members out of his way. Richard pulled his weapon out, his free hand on his own side, waiting to move. Behldun was tens of feet away from Richard, eyes locked on each other. There was a clear focus in the Grandmaster's vision, it was much more limited in Richard himself. He wasn't shaky, as much as he was too proud right now.

"I will be on my feet for the end of this." Instead of waiting for Behldun to approach, Richard took the offensive himself. When he was working with Torbin, he got into the mindset of attacking first rather than defending. Richard swiped diagonally like he normally would first, not making it a mystery how the battle is starting. Expectedly, Behldun moved to parry the attack with his own scimitar.

'Too simple. He can't be the Grandmaster if it's this easy.' Richard moved his stance to follow-up quickly, not planning to let Behldun have a second to strike himself. The next move was not something he encountered with Torbin, especially since Torbin used a two-handed claymore. This was a different situation, but Richard didn't think he needed to change his strategy. He was about to learn why a simple different set of moves is almost necessary for every individual fight. The warrior's weapons connected, although Behldun didn't recoil. Instead, the Redguard unexpectedly pushed Richard back instead of letting the edges run against each other. Richard was a bit unbalanced, giving Behldun the chance he needed to follow with his other scimitar. It was an abrupt movement, the curved blade moving straight for Richard's throat. He wasn't too dazed as not to be able to move. Natural movements kicked Richard to the side opposite the attacking scimitar was being held. A sloppy stumbling kept him safe at least, Behldun finishing his stab only into air, the two disconnected once again. Unfortunately, the air was almost immediately changed. A carefree attitude was discarded for a tense atmosphere. Behldun wasn't going to calm, moving to knock his opponent out quickly. If Richard was to show off like he wanted, he would have to think outside the box or at least not specifically act like he would against Torbin.

'Two weapons. Keep both busy or stay on one side.' It was all he could think of tactically in the second of breath he had available. He constituted himself once again, vision jumping from his opponents' eyes to the side he was going to be going to keep himself on. Instead of a slash like before, Richard opted for a thrust directly at Behldun's side. As with every fighting style, there were many disadvantages and advantages to every move. This move was no different, and Richard was hoping his natural fighting style would get him something. Behldun had no problems using his weapon to block again. The face of the scimitar was naturally bigger than any weapon made normally in most provinces, although it wasn't the end like before. Richard wasn't going to wait for Behldun to get a hit on him, lowering his stance and pushing his body directly forward to not get pushed back again. A scimitar was a handy weapon in most cases, but it couldn't stab effectively. The range Richard was at helped himself more than his opponent and he capitalized on his position. Without a second weapon, Richard did have a free hand. Alone, it couldn't do much, although it was possible to lower the stamina of a person to a point. Richard planted a fist hard into Behldun's stomach, not causing the any knockback, but he heard the wind knocked out of the Redguard. His ego came back a bit, but he wasn't about to push his luck. The fighters pushed each other away, putting another distance between them.

Richard had a grin, thinking he might have gotten some sort of upper hand. Unfortunately, he once again was not thinking about the skills Behldun would bring to the battle. In a curious turn of events, Behldun ran both blade edges against each other. It seemingly did nothing, but the Redguard came back in a similar was as he did the first time. Richard knew how to counter the dual-wielding master warrior now, planning to take one side again. If he could continue to wear the Grandmaster down, he could show how much he deserved the spot under him.

Behldun curiously stabbed forward with his weapon, barely in the area of where Richard was. He didn't even consider his movement a dodge. He felt an odd tingling near his shoulder, although he brushed it off as wind movement or his own clothes. It suddenly jumped to causing pain when Richard went in for the attack against Behldun's open body. Instead of Richard being able to reach the odd-moving Redguard, he was stopped short as a paralyzing shock ran through his entire body. He initially had no idea where the damage came from, as he had not had to handle offensive magic with Torbin. Even more, he had never felt any traditional magic being used in a harming way against him. A second, much more focused jolt felt like it was times worse than the one before, giving him the feeling of it being shot directly through his stomach. His body shut down as he fell to the ground. He wasn't necessarily hurt, but the feeling of actual harming damage coming to him was intense right now.

Behldun stood over the shaking body of Richard, the leftover sparks jumping around him and only lasting a little while longer. Torbin moved to help Richard, which Behldun didn't stop. The effects of the magic didn't jump to Torbin, being all but dissipated at this point.

"Sir Richard, are you alright?" Richard was jerking every couple minutes on his feet, his system extremely alien to the feeling that came with any sort of magic.

"I'm fine. What did you do to me?" Richard was angry again, feeling like he was cheated out of a victory. He wasn't told that cheap tactics like magic weapons would be used, especially since all Richard had at his disposal was the typical equipment for warriors in training. Behldun, on the other hand, had both scimitars sheathed and his stance returned to the typical look of a Grandmaster.

"You always expect opponents to fight with the typical rules in place? I did as you did with the vampire: Fought using abilities that were possessed, whether they are by chance or practiced. You expected to win but did not. No one has beaten me in the first test, although I will admit there are a couple that gave me a good fight." It was a long explanation that only infuriated Richard more. He was taking as being told he was nothing compared to the other combatants. His need to be noticed or get some a compliment made the lesson fly completely over his head.

"Fine, then I will leave. It's not like I expected you to be any different than the other idiots here." Richard tried to push Torbin away, but he resisted for once. A fatigued body would never escape the grasp of a Nord. Hell, no body could get away from a Nord grasp without a long fight. "Let me go!"

"No, you will stay and stop being so difficult! Stop moping and listen without acting like an immature child!" Torbin was genuinely angry at the childish friend held by the arm. Richard stopped resisting and the uncharacteristic outburst. "Grandmaster Behldun is not saying this to put you down. He is getting you to grow up, which you badly need to in this era. I don't want to be the one to see it or know first, Sir Richard, but you will be dead well before you do anything that might come with your lineage. You should know enough about the Cumberland line to know what you should be working towards and you are quickly moving the opposite way." Another long explanation was told to Richard, but his undivided attention was on his rough friend. It was a couple moments after he finished that Richard knew he could speak without talking over anybody.

"That is a lot to throw at me. I'm not going to change that much that I am a completely different person or anything like Emeric." Torbin's grip relaxed, Richard sliding out of it to turn to face the softening Nord.

"I'm not expecting you to. You will always be rather impulsive and might need a kick, but that's what makes you Sir Richard. There is always room to improve, though." The tension was gone thanks to Torbin's calming words, which were rarely heard anymore with training happening all the time.

"In regard to your fight, I commend you on your adaptability. You were at a disadvantage at being against someone with decades more experience and a much more natural fighting style. Despite that, you thought up a quick way to turn it into a much smaller factor. You have potential, but you are extremely far away from being able to fully utilize your abilities. You have ten minutes to recuperate and I then expect you to return. Torbin, you are to stay and continue your own training. Understood, Torbin?" Behldun was not one to continue the softening mood, cutting into it to explain what he wanted from both men. This time, Richard was able to keep his composure without any problems. He even stood to face Behldun, not in an aggressive way.

"Understood, Grandmaster." As expected, the Nord answered immediately. This time, there was not hesitation in the response.

"Good. Understood, Richard?" Behldun locked eyes on the proud and recovering Breton. Fortunately, there was no malice in Richard's stare. There was avarice, but not negative feelings towards the master trainer.

"Understood."

"Good. I will expect you to change your act while you are a warrior under my command." Behldun looked over the gathered crowd, stepping back. "You should all be sparring, not staring! Get moving, NOW!" The crowd immediately dispersed to do exactly that, not wanting to test the limits of Behldun's patience. If his tone was any indication, he could be heard loud and clear with no one, both inside the buildings area or outside, wanting to test the Redguard for how long his patience would last. Torbin left as well, a glance back to Richard but ultimately leaving to find a partner of his own.

Richard sighed and did the opposite of the group, leaving the area to regain his stamina. The effects of the magic were still keeping him a little fatigued, no doubt a side-effect of the ability. As expected, the warrior didn't have the knowledge of the properties of magic in any regard. Richard rested on one of the few benches that dotted the outside landscape.

"How did things go, Sir Richard?" Richard jumped at the sudden voice, not expecting anyone to be around other than the trainees. Erica had approached at some point, unsurprisingly silent. She was a very quiet person when she did just about anything.

"It went okay, I guess." Erica came out from the back exit of the main building, taking the seat beside Richard. "How are you doing today?" Richard glanced over, only to see her dressed differently than usual. She had a hood largely over her head.

"It's a bit hotter and brighter than normal." Richard changed his expression, not noticing any real difference in either. Maybe she had more sensitive skin compared to other races or something.

"A bit, sure. Are you completely healed?"

"A-Absolutely. No problems after what happened. This is what you will be doing from now on, then? Will I not be able to see you from now on?" Erica's voice trembled a bit during the statement, signifying clear worry that a certain answer would be given.

"I think. We'll be seeing each other, though. It just won't be as much, probably." Richard was largely recovered; the effects being vanished now. He would be officially starting his first training session soon.

"That makes sense. I do not see any other way to do it." Erica got back to her feet unexpectedly. Richard hastily turned to look at her.

"Going already?" Erica smiled and nodded.

"I have a few things I have to do before the end of the day. I cannot waste much time. Let's meet tonight, I would love to get what time I can with you!" Erica leapt up from her seat, barely sitting for two minutes. Richard watched her go, his eyes wandering. In a small way, he seen the half-Altmer in a bit of a new light after their recent discussion that was not typical for the two.

"Richard, stop staring and get back here. You cannot waste time from now on, understood?" Behldun's voice traveled over the length of the training area clear, proving that he had the voice to lead and the skill shown to support the fact. As Richard was completely healed from the shock, he got to his own feet and went to join the group that he was now a part of.

* * *

Two weeks passed since Richard started his official training as a warrior of Akatosh. Other than Richard having to quickly adjust with the new and much stricter schedule than before, with the much-needed help of Torbin, it was not hugely different than his own regime with the skilled Nord. Richard was getting small amounts of experience with different styles of fighting and weapon types. Claymore's were skipped due to the extensive training he had with Torbin, as he had only used said weapon type. The focused Breton was, as expected, still treated like an outcast by a large fraction of the warriors. Torbin was still his friend and Behldun treated him no differently than any other fighter, which made Richard feel a little more comfortable. A few other members also treated him differently than the majority, giving him a couple other people that treated him as a fellow warrior, not a mutt picked up off the street and forced to be part of the subsection of the faction.

"Where are you heading to after this? I heard that the shops were getting some special imports!" A loud-mouthed Breton, the same race as Richard himself, loudly exclaimed to the group. Despite the four being close, the black-haired and surprisingly soft-faced didn't control his sound level of speech. The haircut of a short ponytail didn't help make him seem like a typical fighter, as well.

"You said that before and they didn't have any then." A tanned skinned Imperial that clearly had much more control over his voice spoke directly to the Breton from before. The Imperial had a much more defined and masculine look to his face, giving him a much more obvious look of a soldier. Imperials normally had that look to them, though, along with Nords and Redguards.

"I talked to the guy who owns the shop, Gainroy. I know he will have things this time." The Imperial, Gainroy, shot an annoyed glance towards the excited Breton. He looked back to the other remaining two members of the circle, Richard and Torbin.

"You two don't believe Barus, do you?" Richard only shrugged, with Torbin physically replying.

"Sir Richard doesn't, probably. If I remember correctly, the only thing the shop had for 'imports' were things from Skyrim. Sir Barus, is there anything else this time? Maybe from Elsewyr or maybe Valenwood?" Torbin, unsurprisingly, sat higher than the rest of the group. Even compared to the tall Imperials, the Nord stood a head over just about everybody around him. Surprisingly, it was only his natural height and not his age. The oldest of the four was Torbin, if only by a year at most.

"I swear it is not the same things as usual! If it is, I will get everybody something myself." It was a bold claim by Barus, especially with the small number of available products with the entirety of Tamriel in turmoil. Goods that traveled between the provinces were either severely limited in quality or selection, or downright illegal in some cases. That didn't bring the problem of the major rise of bandits spreading over Nirn.

"I can't go anywhere today. Erica said she had something very important to talk about and really gave me no choice." Gainroy snickered at the answer given by Richard, who gave him a puzzled look.

"You and she are always seeing each other. You have to either share her or let yourself go sometimes. She has you in the palm of her hand, pal." Richard felt himself get a little warmer at the remarks to him, looking away from the three entirely.

"I know, you practically spend nights together. We all know what you two get up to, even Torbin, whether he says it or not." Richard looked over to Torbin with only his eyes, head unmoving. Torbin was smiling, making the embarrassment worse. The rumors of Richard and Erica being together were not spread around like an epidemic, as the idea was put out well before now, but it was still something that his real friends believed. Richard denies it every time, but they don't believe him.

"Try and meet us after. If not, I'll make sure you get something if there's anything good." Richard huffed, not acknowledging the statements. It wasn't more than fifteen minutes before the four split into going where they needed to. The three indeed headed to the shop like they planned, with Richard going to meet Erica like he said.

Young Erica was seen less and less over the last couple of weeks. Richard seen her much more than anybody else, but even he has not been seeing her a day or so in between the visits. She has been oddly missing sometimes or locked herself in her room. When she did leave the safety of her personal space, she kept a lot of her body covered. It was more apparent when she went outside, covering herself up as much as possible from the sunlight. Despite the uncharacteristic behavior, she has not shown any differences in her personality or speaking manner. It was only her actions that were showing some oddities. There were already rumors floating around, ranging from she was covering up evidence of nights of passion to she was having a small effect to the sun all the sudden. Although the latter wasn't much of a rumor, there were a lot of individual ideas, both normal and outlandish.

"Erica? Are you in here?" Richard knocked on the acolyte's door. There was a quick shuffling before Erica opened the door entirely, a familiar smile on her face.

"Hello, Sir Richard. I was not expecting you so soon, but I am glad you are here already." Erica pulled Richard inside, who was not entirely pulled against his will. Erica liked to do the same thing every time she saw Richard, no matter where they were. Some habits don't change, but other things did more. The first image of the young Altmer showed her a little more pale than normal, which was harder to see unless someone was around her a lot. From first glance of someone new, Erica barely had any trace of her partial Altmer heritage in immediate physical features.

Erica's room was not too different from it normally was, although it seemed a little emptier for some reason. The typical decorations that were largely based on Akatosh or some things relating to her origin province were more barren than usual. It was an odd sight for Richard, especially since Erica was acting cheery while a big change was happening in her own room.

"Where is all of your stuff? You didn't put it away, did you?" Richard investigated the areas, seeing that there were a few marks around some of the larger or heavier items. The traditionally neat and careful Erica was indeed acting weird.

"Sir Richard, I need to tell you something that I cannot tell anyone but you. I cannot trust anybody else with this and you must promise me on your life that you will not let this information out when you leave this room. As much as I cherish Sir Torbin's friendship as well, I cannot bring myself to tell him, especially with how vocal he is." The sudden onslaught of Erica's obviously serious requests made Richard stop moving in shock. In the time Richard has known his closest Altmer friend, she rarely got serious. Even then, it was usually about a topic that was a trivial matter that Erica only got stuck on because it was momentary annoyance.

"Sure, I can do that." Erica shot up straighter in pose and basically glared at Richard. It wasn't an intimidating glare, as much as she was holding back from breaking down.

"That will not do! Promise me, Sir Richard!" Richard swallowed, having to think of what she might be wanting from him. She could get more aggressive about her request at any moment.

"Okay! Erica, I promise I will not let what you are going to tell me out of this room." Erica relaxed at this response, it appearing to meet what she wanted from him.

"Good. Please, come sit." Erica sat herself down on the edge of the bed, much like she usually does when the two meet in the room. Despite what most people assume, the two keep things strictly friendly and far from intimate. Richard could almost sense something different about this night, though. Richard wordlessly sat beside his friend, not sure what he would say and hope she would continue what the unusually severe topic mentioned before was. Erica indeed continued, if only briefly.

"I cannot hear Akatosh anymore, Sir Richard." Erica could not get the words out before she instantly broke down in tears. Richard naturally moved to embrace the harshly sobbing girl, who naturally moved towards him. The two were instantaneously in a position they rarely found themselves in, especially since Erica very rarely let these feelings break through. Erica had developed a strong barrier to negative emotions continuously, only growing the more positive emotions she experienced. Richard himself only saw her do this one time before, but even then was not as impactful to her at once as this was.

Richard still did not know what to do. The first time was oddly whenever she was spending time with Richard on a normal day. Erica had come back from her almost daily errand run to pick up some ingredients when she basically pulled Richard into the room when they had returned. As if they were attached to the hip, Erica had pulled Richard along with her for just about everything. It was more unusual to see Erica alone. On this particular day, Erica had encountered a particularly nasty pair of Altmer, which were obviously not a welcomed sight to the partial-Altmer girl. At least, it normally would not be. Unfortunately, this encounter would break the composure of the young acolyte.

To most, it seemed quite harmless to most other people. Even Richard, who was put into the insult, felt nothing from it. Regrettably, the two women were probably vain Altmer who got in Wayrest due to privilege. The city was not closed to other races, even ones who had previously wronged them, but they were looked on with disdain. The haughty elves did exactly that to others, despite being far from their original province.

* * *

"Look at that! I knew the mongrels inhabited this excuse for a society, but it looks like they are corrupting our lines." One of the women snickered, the other responding quickly to get her jab in.

"That thing isn't one of us anymore. It belongs with these pathetic mixed races now, probably already had a night with that disgusting vermin beside it." The second woman spoke in pronouns, but Richard knew what they were implying and their attempts at insults made them feel foul. Richard looked at them, but they were already pointing to the next group they intended to act higher than.

"Whatever. It's people like that who make me sick." Richard brushed the remark off easily, but Erica had slowed until she was standing in place. Her head was facing to the ground, hair covering her features. "Are you alright?" Erica was momentarily silenced.

"Sir Richard…I am okay. I am just not too fond of being talked about."

* * *

It flew over Richard's head at that point, but he did eventually figure out what made her uncomfortable. Erica was and still is incredibly embarrassed by her race, even if it got a slight bit easier with Richard as a friend. She did cry whenever the two returned, but Richard was still clueless at that time. This time, it wasn't about Erica's race, so he was presented with something different again. It wasn't weird to not hear Akatosh speak on a constant basis for Richard, as he only heard the Aedra a few times in total.

"What does that mean? Do you hear her all the time?" Erica was still buried in Richard's chest, but she got out a nod of her head. "I see. Then why is it odd to not hear her for a day or so?" Erica tipped her head upwards, enough to glance at Richard.

"It has not been a day. I have not heard his voice for two weeks…"

"His? Right, the gods are technically sexless. What happened two weeks…Erica, what happened two weeks ago?" Richard went from a second of confusion to a partial realization. He wasn't given a lot of information, but he knew the big event that passed just that amount of time ago: The Vampire attack that affected the whole of the area of the housing of followers. If anything, something must have happened to Erica along with being taken prisoner and hurt.

Instead of sobbing, Erica had stopped with only little signs of continuing. Instead, she replaced it with wiggles of embarrassment and buried her head again. Richard had to put his foot down and pushed Erica away, leaving her with naturally putting her hands over her face as best she could.

"Erica, tell me what is wrong." It only happened a couple times before as well, but Richard had to treat Erica as she was the childish one. She mentioned the event for a reason, and he had to get it out of her the easiest way he knew. A few moments of peeking out of her hands, and she finally pulled them to her chest. She wasn't going to say anything, instead pulling at her robes. She wasn't getting naked again, rather revealing a nasty cut that the people who were paying attention or saw her would recognize. The injury came from when the Vampire threw Erica to the ground by the neck. It wasn't clear at first, but it was noticeable after the battle died down and the undead itself was dead.

"Sir Richard…" She spoke low and kept trying to let go of her robes but kept them down while talking. "I am a…vampire…" Richard reached to touch the wound, Erica leaning away at first.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? It could have been cured before it got this far." Although Richard would be normally utterly confused and concerned, something else stronger naturally kept him from losing it.

"I did tell someone…Miss Alvechi knew, but…she told me it was already too late…" The tearing up from Erica started again as she spoke in sections. This explained a lot of both her actions and what is happening now. She kept her hood up and more covered up because the sunlight would have a reaction to her new affliction as well as not wanting to show her wound.

"When did you see her? How long have you been dealing with this? I also have to know; how long have you been dealing with having no…blood to drink?" As expected, Richard didn't have much communication with this certain race of undead, and his line of questions were many and unsurprisingly detailed.

"Please do not think of my any different than before, I do not want to live like this…" Richard shuffled close to Erica again. She reacted a little differently, leaning herself against Richard's figure.

"I don't know why you kept it from some people for so long."

"It only really came up a week back in a bad way. I was getting more sensitive to light everyday, until a little ago. I opened the window like normal, but it physically hurt when I did. The sun hurt. Miss Alvechi was giving me…blood every couple days. I assume it was hers, but I do not want to believe that." Erica averted her eyes while speaking, still not wanting to admit her new life habits or wanting to even acknowledge it.

"I'm not surprised she is the only person who knows. Why does it look like you are leaving?" The big question came to light, causing Erica to shudder on Richard's shoulder. The question was not going to be avoided for the whole time they were talking during the night.

"I am not going anywhere tonight, I just felt bad about the situation I am in. Sir Richard…do I look very different than before? Miss Alvechi commented on it and I am very scared it is making me too obvious…" The subject change was unexpected, causing Richard to look down at the now Vampire Altmer. She was also looking back, and there were a few things that Richard noted now that things were calmed down and the only bright light came from the many hanging candles. The eyes that looked at him were showing Erica as her now Vampire self. Her hair seemed to be growing a little darker at the roots and her skin was indeed going paler, no doubt showing very little Altmer in her.

"Of course, but I doubt you thought you would look the same. It's hard to know for sure, since you definitely don't show yourself anymore that much."

"That makes sense. Then let me show you everything." Erica stood up, a sense of déjà vu coming back to Richard. The scene that came to mind before played out from before happened again. When Erica was standing straight, she dropped her robe again. Richard didn't react the same as before, trying to leave the room, but he naturally did look away again. The two have been together a long time, but it was expected the two kept things friendly and nothing more between them. "Please, Sir Richard. I need to know if I am any different." Erica sounded desperate, her tone shaky when speaking.

"Are you completely sure?" Richard was not answered by a word, rather a hand on his shoulder. Erica had approached him quietly, causing him to heat up. When he finally looked over to Erica, he didn't notice that Erica was oddly wearing nothing underneath, unlike before when she was still covered. In an instant, his eyes could not be averted away from the woman in front of him. She was beautiful, as expected, although something about her was much different than a traditional Altmer. Erica noticed and squirmed in the gaze of Richard.

"Something is wrong, I know it. I am not worthy of being here anymore…" Erica stepped back, turning to move away. Whether she was planning on dressing again or not, Richard reacted without thinking. He reached far enough to grab Erica's hand before she was too far away.

"Do you really put that much faith in something that isn't physically here?" Without using his head before thinking, the phrase got Erica to flinch. The stillness of the girl gave Richard a welcoming sight to her curves and nearly flawless body. No matter what her other parent's origin was, she still had a portion of Altmer in her. It is possible her developing Vampire addition is helping with the shape of her body, as well as a percentage of her problems.

"I will not get annoyed at you for saying such, Sir Richard, but I do not have anything else to hold on to. I am hoping you remember what I have told you over our time together." Erica still did not turn to look at Richard, although she kept her hand in his own.

"Of course I do. You don't remember your parents as well as very little about your early life. At least that is basically what you said." Erica exhaled deeply, accepting Richard's response. It wasn't exactly what the Altmer girl was hoping for, but she easily excused his simplification.

"I guess that will work as an explanation. In any case, this is a huge problem with my current situation…" Erica turned after speaking, showing her front again to wandering eyes of the Breton. With the calmness of the scene, Erica was shown in full sight. The moonlight glided over Erica's curves in every way, her lighter skin glowing in the room.

Erica's face was gentle as always, although the color of her eyes was progressively changing to a darker color. Down her body led to her breasts, that were unsurprisingly full for her age. As she was a race of Mer, her body aged to a point and seemingly stopped for an unknown amount of time. Just with Erica's chest, she had gotten to the age of maturity and she grew into it incredibly well. Erica's stomach was flat, but not fit. Erica worked her body, but not to the extent of the more physical members of the followers. In line with her chest, her race gifted the girl with massive positives regarding her assets. Her butt was envious of other girls to have and guys to get a chance with. Her front was just as desirable, clean and not showing much use personally.

As Richard stared more, Erica wiggled her body in embarrassment. She didn't cover up, just wanting to get Richard distracted a little bit from her physical looks. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. To finally get Richard to pay attention to her, Erica put her hands on his cheeks and pulled his face upwards.

"Please, Sir Richard." Richard blinked and came back to thinking again.

"Right, I'm sorry. It's just not normal for this to happen."

"Sir Richard…please forgive me, I just need this happiness for once." Richard had no seconds to ask before being pushed onto the bed with Erica's body on top of him and their lips connected into a kiss.

Richard was stunned under her, not knowing what was going on entirely. He knew that the relationship between himself and Erica was much deeper than was shown to others, but he never prepared himself for when this kind of thing would happen. He didn't fight Erica above him, although he didn't goad her further, either. He let himself naturally move, to an extent. His mind and body were rarely in agreement on what to do, and the two were always trying to get more control than the other. He felt his body wanting to do more to the naked Altmer on top of him, but his mind wanted to ask questions before doing anything else. After a couple moments of internal struggle, his body won and his arms wrapped around his friend, resting on her back as they continued their intimate embrace. Erica took the lead, leaning up and breaking the kiss to look down at her lover. Seeing her in the dying light of the day showed how many tiny details were altered due to the Vampirism, as well as her elven beauty showing in its glory.

"I will make sure we enjoy this together, Sir Richard. I apologize for the forward nature and I ask for your forgiveness after this night ends." Richard was still speechless, having things he could say in his mind, but they were stuck in his throat. Erica started the nights real activities by working at Richard's shirt. He had not long ago finished his training with the others and had changed into a much lighter layer of clothing, giving his lover easy access to his body. Despite her way of speaking that eluded to wanting to rush, she carefully removed his shirt first to reveal what he was hiding underneath.

The rough life Richard had to endure for a decade or more had almost sculpted his body into a fit figure before, the life he had currently only hardening that image. He had a muscular body with a surprising layer of kempt and light chest hair that matched in color to his groomed head hair.

"I never thought I would see you like this. Do I look good as well, Sir Richard?" Whether it was the mood or Erica's unusual personality change, the air in the room was the exact opposite as before. Instead of a tense feeling, Richard felt unbelievably free. It was an odd feeling, as he always tempered himself and continued to, but around Erica was entirely different. He didn't have to hold back or worry about embarrassing himself. He was truly free around one of his closest friends.

"You look amazing. I could never imagine I would be around someone like you, Erica." Richard moved on his own, finally, to his patient lover. While she did start the night, she was displaying herself for him to do as he pleased to her. His normally hidden natural movements were showing themselves as his hands cupped her breasts. They continued as he groped them gently, although Erica quickly spoke up to Richard's surprise.

"Do not be gentle, Sir Richard. I do not want to waste this night, so be rough with me if you want." Although Richard wasn't entirely sure what she meant, he would let his body move without thinking about it really meant right now. He was already feeling like he was not entirely in control over his actions.

A nod was his gesture of acknowledging Erica's statement and his hands continued their pleasurable movements with renewed vigor. He barely thought about his actions, letting the natural side take over the most. It took barely seconds for Richard to pull Erica onto himself, with a gasp from her. His hands grasped her butt and the two connected by lips again. Erica moved to get her hand on Richard's hardening cock, trying to get her needs free of their restraints. With the two still kissing deeply, Erica moved off Richard to strip him down more as well. In a minute and an unfortunate need for the two to disconnect, both Richard and Erica were naked. Neither was nervous anymore, passion rising to a higher level by the second. Erica was wiggling in front of Richard, who was proudly posed in confidence. Richard was a very well-developed guy, a well-groomed body matched from head to toe. The biggest eye-catcher to Erica, as expected, was his impressively hung self. She wasted very little time and flung herself into Richard's waiting self. The two continued their sensual embrace skin to skin, Richard finally getting as loose as Erica was with her feelings and motions.

"What do you plan on doing with me, Sir Richard?" Erica had her arms draped over Richard's shoulders, rubbing herself against his increasingly arousing body.

"How far can I go?" Richard was answered by a hand wrapping around his largely hardened cock. He replied with a hand squeezing Erica's butt.

"I know you are worried, but I am trusting you to know how far you can go. I want this to be a good for the both of us, so do what feels right." It was a long explanation, but Erica started pumping Richard's cock at the same time. Richard was moaning increasingly louder, taking it as consent to let him start with what he wanted. Richard started by using both hands to lift Erica against him. Her hands wrapped around his neck and she was guided until her back was against the wall that the headboard of the bed was also against. His cock was rubbing against the outer lips of Erica's slick sex, causing the Altmer to moan with every step.

"I am going to get you addicted to me." Richard whispered in Erica's ear, causing her to moan louder. The two were more than ready to get busy, but Richard was teasing Erica more. He nibbled her neck and moved his hips to rub his hardened cock against her more. She was sandwiched between the wall and Richard's thrusting body, giving him complete control over her body. She was in ecstasy already, although she kept trying to get her partners sex into her.

"Sir Richard, I am going to go crazy. Please, for the sake of Akatosh, use me!" Her voice was slowly rising, her mind only on the pleasure between the two. A loud yelp came from her as she was bitten hard, nails digging into Richard's back.

"Stay quiet or else!" It sounded like a surprising growl, causing Erica to catch her breath and follow the orders given. After a couple more moments of teasing and quieter moans of his submissive partners, Richard gifted the girl with finally penetrating her deep as he could in one thrust. Erica's eyes widened as she was officially deflowered, but it felt amazing. Whether it was the mood or some third-party help, she let out a louder yelp and a growing smile on her face.

"Akatosh, forgive me! I want more!" Erica moved a little while being impaled, giving Richard the deepest access into her. Every sound coming from both were fits of passion, Richard using the Altmer's body like she wanted.

"You will be getting more than you can handle. Take it all!" Richard pulled Erica down while pushing his cock into her hard, pushing himself and Erica over the edge. Erica abruptly leaned down, biting Richard's shoulder as they both reached their climax. Richard emptied himself deep into Erica, Erica mixing herself in as well. Richard slowly was losing his strength, needing a minute to recuperate. A heave and what muscle he could muster for the few seconds needed, he put Erica onto the bed, sitting beside her with a deep inhale of air.

"Sir Richard, that was better than I imagined it would be." She wasn't as exhausted, leaning against Richard's muscular form. Her young breasts rubbed against Richard's body, his cock coming back to attention quickly despite him just emptying himself into his partner. "Ohh, someone needs more attention already. I will attend to you quickly, lover." Richard had no time to attest to her actions before her head was dropped to meet his rejuvenated erection. She eagerly took it in her mouth, the normally quiet and shy girl taking the sexual acts like she was active in it herself. Richard instinctively put a hand on her head, gripping her hair to no denial by his lover.

"Erica, how do you know all of this?" She was bobbing up and down on his member, surprisingly feeling her vampire teeth lightly rub the sensitive parts when they touched them. She wasn't biting or causing him pain, but the teeth felt amazing against him. He was already forcing her deeper and even though she took it without complaining, she tapped her hand against his leg. It was not instant, but he eventually pulled her head off his cock. She coughed a bit and took in a big breath of air.

"I know you are eager, but I can only take so much, Sir Richard. I cannot handle all of you for that long." She began pumping him again, the two making eye contact as she then answered his question. She was constantly giving him pleasure, despite her not getting the same but not throwing out any objections to it. "I…Miss Alvechi and I are close and…" Her shyness came back as she continued to please, despite her face growing redder as she seemed to force herself to speak more. "She knows about the things I wanted to do with you and…helped me. It is not something I can explain, but Miss Alvechi helped…" She trailed off and the first thought that popped into Richard's mind was what he said.

"Did you do things before this with someone else?" It sounded like jealousy in a way, a bit of an accusatory question. Erica got a brighter red and fervently shook her head.

"No, by the Divines, no! I promise you are my first! I do not want you to think bad of her, but she used other means to show me. I promise, you are my first and will always by my special lover, Sir Richard!" Maybe to try and push her point more, she basically threw herself at Richard once again. The two embraced and shared a long kiss while rubbing against each other once again.

From there, the two repeated their previous acts, this time on the bed. Richard took control a couple times by putting the willing girl on her hands and knees as well as her back, marking her as his by both her womb and strangling her in pleasure with a hand mark. As expected, Erica didn't object and enjoyed it more and more as he continued to take control of her body. Richard indeed took her body as his own, emptying himself time and time again into her womb. Sometime close to the end of their sexual romp that lasted longer than they probably expected, Richard and Erica were being much more sensual in their acts. Richard gave a fair amount of attention to Erica's chest, getting the girl to try and weakly push him off due to her sensitivity. As expected, Richard was concrete in his sexual torture of his lover, keeping her writing in light pain and immense pleasure. By the end of their constant moaning and pleasure, the two ended with Richard catching his breath deeply and Erica lying on him as she did the same. It was getting early in the morning and the mood dissipated as the two were not as interested in sex anymore, rather just being close.

Erica was marked up a little, Richard's dominance showing with red marks on her neck and tender breasts. She had a big smile, hands connected around Richard to make sure he didn't go anywhere without her. Richard had a little more noticeable marks, bites in multiple parts of him and nails marks that dug surprisingly deep into his skin. If one were to judge, it would look more like Richard was under Erica's control, rather than the other way around.

"I am sorry for forcing you into this Sir Richard, I really am. I should have controlled myself…"

"You are fine. You didn't do anything wrong, I just wasn't expecting you to start it all the sudden."

"You are far too nice to me. I know I am taking advantage of you."

"You are fine. I just want to know what got into you all the sudden." From the beginning to actual end, neither Richard nor Erica brought up any reasons why. Even before, Erica only mentioned wanting some kind of happiness.

"I do not actually know. I just wanted to experience it, at least once. I do not know what I will be doing after tonight…" Richard moved to stare at Erica.

"What do you mean what you will be doing after tonight? Erica, what are you thinking about doing?" Erica didn't answer right away, in fact she squirmed underneath that was a dead giveaway that she was nervous or anxious. It was very rarely a good sign and Richard noticed when it was a good or bad sign.

"I do not know. This is all too much right away." Richard tried to hold back his signs of sleep, but he couldn't keep the yawn down. Erica giggled in a cute way.

"Just think about it, alright? I am trying my best to stay awake, but I don't want you to do anything without thinking." Surprisingly, Erica didn't show any gestures of drowsiness. Richard himself was losing his focus quickly.

"I will, Sir Richard. Sleep, I will make sure you are taken care of tomorrow." Richard followed up on Erica's remark, letting sleep take him until he had to leave in the morning. It barely took a minute for Richard to let the comfortable position and company lure him to sleep.

* * *

Richard had a series of disconnected images over the night, including multiple beings over however long he slept. A couple of vivid ones included a decorated Nord, a robed older man, but most terrifying of all, a huge black drake that was seconds from devouring him. Instead of getting up over time slowly, Richard jerked into a sitting position out of nowhere. His breaths were a quickened and his vision was focusing as soon as possible. For a couple minutes, Richard did his best to recall what he seen. Dragons, red sun, and tentacles in slime pools were what came to mind immediately including the fading images he thought of just before waking.

"Erica, I think it's time to g-" Richard moved his hand that was in Erica's. The problem was that he didn't have another hand in his own. He jerked to where Erica was, or where she was. For some reason, Richard's mind was lost on what the situation was. When he caught up, Richard jumped off the bed quickly and jerked his head around the room to find Erica. For some reason, he thought she was around the room, but she couldn't go far cause the sun was up as well as she would have to wake Richard up as well.

Once again, his mind and actions had to catch up still. Realistically, he was up for no more than ten minutes and both functions were fighting against each other over which was going to work first. He would have to make get his body in agreement before trying to figure out anything.

"Okay, so she is gone and I have to figure this out. Uh…" The activity the two did the night before was more prominent than what was around the room at the time. Richard did remember the room was emptier than normal, and it seemed Erica left with more somehow. The girl could not have moved her stuff easily, unless she used magic to assist her. It is possible she summoned help or simply asked someone at some point. Any person she could have gotten assistance from would most likely be a stranger, since Erica pointed out she didn't trust Torbin with any of these important matters.

"You said you wouldn't do this." Richard's eyes scanned the rest of the room, mostly the places that should be barren or just out of place things. It took a single look to find something that definitely wasn't in the room before. A slightly off-colored red potion sat on a table beside the bed, underneath a note lay.

'I am sorry for lying to you, Sir Richard. I promise you that I everything else that I said and did were true. It was hard to leave, but I cannot bring myself to take up space in a place like this as I am. I know you will find me eventually, if you have the need, but I cannot stress this enough. I do not want you to leave what you have just for me. I am not leaving to do anything dangerous, rather I just need to figure things out away from a place that I care about as much as this. I will not be looking for trouble or a way to end my life and will do what I can to avoid such situations.

This potion is for curing disease. I could not help myself and bit you. I specifically made a strong dosage that could work against Vampirism before it gets to the point of no return. I hope with all my heart you will use this, whether you believe you have it or not. I could not live with myself if I had been at fault for putting you in even any situation close to mine.

I will wait for us to meet again. Until then, keep yourself safe and I will keep my love for you close.'

Richard had to read the note over again, if only to make sense of what was said. It wasn't difficult, but his mind was thinking too fast. When he read the part about being bit, he immediately felt around his neck. He didn't feel anything until he went farther down into his shoulder. The holes from Erica's teeth were clearly defined and went deep, which could lead to the Vampirism spreading easily.

The potion in his hand seemed correct, although he was curious how strongly made it was. Erica was apparently naturally good at anything magic and the art of alchemy was no doubt also a strength of hers. To satisfy Erica's wants, he swallowed the contents in a single drink. It wasn't a lot, but it was thicker than a typical potion. Nonetheless, he wouldn't know for sure if it worked until a few days from now. When the time passed and he was still his normal Breton self, that meant Erica's concoction worked if he did contract Vampirism.

He didn't have any feeling like he would lose his connection to the divines, nor did he entirely believe Erica did, but he didn't like the idea of being made into something he despised. No ill will was towards Erica herself, as she was forcibly given the curse, but others were an entirely different story. No other Vampire would have a valid excuse if the choice was made willingly.

Even after figuring out what happened to Erica, or rather what Erica happened to do, Richard still had to reflect on what this would mean and what he would do. He still had no problems about leaving Wayrest to find the runaway girl, even if she specifically didn't want it. Anyone who knew Richard even a little knew that the man was far from thinking about the consequences of his actions before he acted on them. Still, leaving was a big decision. If he did, then he would be alone again but with no safety like in the city. Richard knew he had luck and some skills, but far from any seasoned adventurer. Erica left in the night and the fact she needed no sleep means she could easily have gotten extremely far. Richard's quest would take months at the earliest and decades at the latest. There was no way he would live through that, even as a possible descendent of the legendary Emeric of Cumberland.

"I guess I have to just bear having this always in the back of my mind." After a long time of ruminating, Richard decided on continuing his training. He would be constantly bothered by the absence of Erica and keeping the secret, hopefully the busy nature of his current life could make it more bearable. Eventually, he might be able to tell Torbin of what happened. It would take but a day for the questions to start coming.

As Richard came down to go to his session, it didn't even last a day before he was being bombarded with things that made him already regret not leaving right away.

"Ohh, so he did stay up there all night. Aren't guys not supposed to be up there?" Barus was the first to bring up the obvious, although it meant something entirely different to Richard. He didn't respond, only turn away from his group of friends. Torbin and Gainroy were also waiting but didn't get a chance to say anything directly to Richard.

"Nice going, idiot. You really should keep quiet most of the time, but that is a pipe dream." Barus huffed at Gainroy's response, glancing to Torbin. He held an expression of worry.

"We won't know what is wrong with Sir Richard for a while. Something is definitely eating at him, though, probably regarding Miss Erica." Torbin was the closest to Richard, obviously knowing him the longest and being as right as he always was when it came to the Breton's actions.

* * *

Everyday seemed to blend into the other with no change in Richard's state of mind. Since that day of Erica leaving, the thought of following her has always been whispering to him to leave immediately. Richard didn't know exactly why, but he never acted on the urge. For two years after that day, Richard has kept himself at the place he has been able to call home. His friends were still with him, thankfully, but they were not all on the same level of knowing what happened. For first couple of months, Richard kept the news of Erica to himself. Torbin especially has been on his back about where Erica had gone, but Richard was tight lipped about the events of the night and leading to the reveal in the morning. As expected, Torbin had eventually been told about what happened. Richard didn't go into detail except for the most important parts. Unexpectedly, even Torbin brought up the idea for them to leave, possibly bring Barus and Gainroy along for the help. Torbin was talked down to inform anybody else about the way Erica went missing. It was inevitable that everybody had found out, although none of them had concrete proof except the two men.

"Richard, I feel like it is time. I know you are hesitant to leave, but it is not so bad." Torbin and Richard were locked in a skirmish, claymore pushing against a shield respectively. Instead of just a one-handed blade, Richard had extended his arsenal to a couple other similar style of weapons and also incorporated a durable shield into his fighting style. He still trained without it, having skilled proficiency in both styles. Torbin had been using heavier and deadlier weapons. He concentrated on his original blade but had expanded to using a deadly battle ax and had also trained his fists to be powerful weapons. With or without a weapon, Torbin had trained his body to always have an option.

"I have been thinking it over, but now is not the time to think about it or talk." Richard heaved forward, pushing his Nord opponent away to make a distance. Richard had also trained his body to be nothing like it was before, not looking like he had before when he was begging.

"Then we meet tonight and make the final decision. I have made up my mind." With that, the two warriors finished the day out like normal. They barely break a sweat with the fighting anymore, wanting more of a challenge than their fellow allies. Nothing much had happened and the events from years ago had largely been forgotten and repaired. It was peaceful, but peace in Tamriel never lasted long.

"I am leaving tomorrow. I cannot walk during the night, but I am packing up to leave in the morning." Torbin spoke clearly, showing he was being completely serious. He had been talking about leaving for a while, always bringing up that things seemed to have changed over the years. Whether it was Erica leaving or his previous life as a traveling pilgrim coming back to haunt him, he was getting much more restless.

"I'm surprised you waited this long. Then we leave together, but Barus and Gainroy stay here. They don't need to be involved in this."

"That was a quick decision, Sir Richard. When did you have your mind made up?"

"The morning she left, of course. What about you?"

"Seeing as you didn't tell me until later, not long after that. I enjoyed my time here, but I've never been one to like all this peace and such. Probably cause of my nature." Richard knew enough about the races to know Nord's tendencies. Their nature and past outfitted the race to be nomads.

"I'm not surprised. Then…should we plan ahead before we go?"

"I know I don't and that doesn't seem your kind of thing, Sir Richard. No, just where we will go."

"At this point, Erica can be anywhere…if we even have any kind of path."

"Then I have a suggestion. Skyrim." Richard thought about the suggestion. If he wanted anywhere else, it wouldn't make a difference in finding the missing girl. He had absolutely no idea where to start and realistically, they had to start somewhere that bordered the corner province.

"Why there specifically?" It wasn't any sort of accusation, rather curiosity on knowing why he was quick to bring out that place.

"I have a feeling. I've always had feelings on a lot of things I do, and I have always followed them."

"Sounds okay to me. We'll start in Skyrim, then." With that, the two went their different ways to prepare for the morning ahead. Richard couldn't sleep much that night, although he did get some rest. Unlike Torbin, Richard would have next to nothing to bring with him. During his time at his newest home as well as his life before, he had nothing that was worth material and was very shrewd with the coin he did gain. Torbin could be credited with the same, as he was a pilgrim before coming to the same place. It would be interesting to see what the two could accomplish together.

* * *

The next morning was both a welcomed sight and a drain from the start for Richard. He had prepared himself for the fact he would, once again, be leaving a home he had to go to places he had no clue about.

Richard came to the front of the building in his most travel worn outfit, carefully patched up by Erica, that he had worn on his first day as a beggar from the streets. For some reason, Erica had insisted she could repair them when Richard was happy to get rid of them. Nonetheless and to no one's surprise, Richard caved in and let Erica do what she wanted. They were repaired not long after and looking much better than Richard could have made them look himself. The rest he had on him when he reached the front doors was a leather sack on him of saved septims and a traveler's bag of things given to him by others. It seemed Torbin was either late or already left, both incredibly out of character as well as unlikely.

"On time today? This must be a really special occasion, Sir Richard." Torbin appeared towards the back of the building, leading to the training grounds with his own supplies. He had barely more on him, although the look of the items were not memorabilia. The bumps that came with the items made it look like it was possibly books or boxes that shared the size. Despite both men coming with absolutely nothing on them except for scraps of coin, Torbin was much better with preparations of this sort.

"I don't want to waste any time. What made you so late, if I may pry?" Torbin let out a long sigh. That could mean he did something that was unproductive, or he was relieved. As Richard would learn, it was the former, in a sense.

"I know you had no one to say farewells to, but I did have a couple. I didn't tell them why, but…"

"So, it was true. My recruits are deciding to leave without prior arrangements being made, at least one of you." The loud accusation came from Behldun, the Redguard who has been training the warriors over the last couple of years. With him were two other fighters, namely Vius and two familiar friends.

"You couldn't help but tell people about our plans, could you? Jeez, Erica was almost right about you having such a big mouth." Torbin shrugged, unable to think of a comeback. He was right, in a way.

"You should have said something sooner, Richard. This decision would not have been made by anyone here but you two, although that doesn't change the fact there are people here that care." Richard huffed with the response to his statement by Behldun. Still, Behldun's expression was unchanging.

"I know, man. We wouldn't have gone with you, of course, but you should have said something to us. You're lucky Torbin here is with you, or else you would have made a huge mistake." Barus, expectedly, spoke behind Behldun. Richard noticed just now that two weapons were in possession of the group, being hidden by bodies and unable to be entirely discerned, but still able to be seen.

"Ever since you used those abilities, it was hard to see you staying in a place like this. Call it warriors' intuition, but I am also not a fool about these things. You two are very much meant to do things not centered in Wayrest, although I am surprised you stayed as long as you did. Nonetheless, as a gift to keep you safe on your adventures, I present you with these weapons." Richard was expecting Barus and Gainroy to walk up to him, but it was actually Vius who approached with his armament. He was surprisingly silent until now, the glare he was directing at Richard probably giving the idea that he had nothing to say on the encouraging side. He simply thrusted the covered weapon forward, a motion that could mistakenly be taken as aggression with the amount of force he used if he weren't a good distance away.

"This is some kind of trick, isn't it? Why would you be here GIVING me anything other than your attitude and pathetic words?" The animosity between the two have not dissipated even a little, growing over the years, rather. It came with negatives, as the two could never work together and their fights were rarely sportsmanlike, although positives were also present. The two worked harder than any other to go higher, showing constant improvement in skill and vigor while together or apart in skirmishes.

"I am not GIVING you anything. I only came here to make sure you do leave. This is not from me in any way." The hostility was obvious and could not be interpreted as anything else.

"No worries on that. I won't be back unless I am dying, although that would give you too much satisfaction, so don't plan on seeing me again." Richard grabbed the top of the weapon, Vius held more towards the center, but the aggressive Imperial would not let go.

"I will see you again and make sure you don't get up after I am done with you. Don't think you can die without me being there to cause it." The words were worse than poison, especially between the two who were largely much tamer until now. They got into arguments, but the limits were taken away in this instance.

"That is enough. Vius, you cannot waste more time when you have yet to reach a point of completely over-powering Richard. You two are barely past novices." Behldun spoke loudly, snapping the boys out of their final spiteful encounter. Vius released the weapon, causing Richard to jerk forward at the sudden extra weight, with a smug grunt before completely leaving the building out the back again with a haste.

"That was brutal. I think it's good you two are getting some time apart, you are ready to rip out throats. Werewolves are friendlier than you two." Torbin, Barus, and Gainroy were silently watching the exchange, kept quiet partially out of confusion and Behldun keeping them from interrupting. Torbin was carrying his weapon, although it clearly outclassed Richards in a few aspects.

"Just don't let any of this get to you. It would be nice if you could try and be a little civil sometimes. I don't like having to babysit you sometimes around him." For once, Gainroy spoke to Richard like he was a scolded child. It was unusual for the middle-ground Imperial to take a side, especially if it involved being negative towards his friend.

"You two also have other matters to attend to. Get to your training." A sigh from Barus but an acknowledging nod from Gainroy is how the two left. "I would ask that you keep the gifts as they are until you have left the building. It is not for any specific reason, it is a suggestion." With that simple request, Behldun also left, leaving Torbin and Richard at the entrance with their unexpected baggage.

"Torbin, how do you really feel about leaving? You make it seem like you are okay, but are you really?" Richard and Torbin were walking out of the city of Wayrest, equipment and bags carried on their backs.

"I am. It will be odd to get used to after having a comfortable home and lots of company, but I will get by fine. How are you handling yourself, Sir Richard?" Richard rolled his eyes, not answering the question but throwing back his own.

"Are you going to continue to call me that?"

"Sir Richard, you mean? Of course I will. It is customary for me. I know a way to Skyrim, if you will let me take the lead." The subject was changed quickly, probably to avoid Richard making a fuss about how Torbin spoke. Richard figured it would get on his nerves quickly enough that he will have to almost force the traditional Nord to drop the mannerisms.

"I don't have a clue where we are going, so I would like nothing more than that." The two were on foot, meaning it would take weeks to trek to one of the entrances to Skyrim. The Wrothgarian and Jerall Mountains largely limited the ways to enter the snowy province of Skyrim. The Wrothgarian Mountains were also home to the Orcs. They were not completely hostile, but highly disliked company. In the end, the duo ended up being led on a way that took them to the northern of Cyrodil to take a pass from Bruma. It wasn't easy to get there, taking months to get through at least two provinces before reaching the border, and Torbin was the one that used a lot of his funds to supply their nights at Inns. They had enough to get by, with the help of traders and other wanderers. There were not a huge number of events the duo encountered, as politics were not being fought with steel as much as with words. Richard didn't know much of the outside provinces, only getting bits of information from eavesdropping.

* * *

"We are at the border. It's been a long time, Sir Richard."

"That is very true. We haven't heard anything about a traveling girl, much less even talk of vampires." Richard was disappointed in the news, especially since that was the main reason the quest started. Torbin didn't seem to be as invested in finding Erica as Richard, not that he was avoiding trying.

"Tamriel is huge. You know it is realistically impossible to find her unless you get some message again somehow. Sir Richard, I have a question you need to answer before we get far into Skyrim." Right now, Richard and Torbin were alone after leaving a group of traders traveling to sell wares. Nothing was asked of them, traveling bands being known to bring more people when possible to dissuade robbers along the way.

"What is it?"

"I would like to split up before getting far into Skyrim. Call it a personal matter." Richard was not listening too much, until he heard the suggestion of splitting. He was stopped in his tracks, turning to see Torbin was completely serious in his eyes. Torbin looked to have stopped earlier on the border.

"Um…why did you wait until we got this close to ask?"

"I wanted to make sure you were safe and really liked the company, of course." The conversation was surprisingly calm, especially with the question being thrown out close to the end of their first quest.

"How would we be meeting up, then? Skyrim isn't small."

"I won't be leaving Skyrim and I doubt it will be hard to find someone like you. You are not really a normal kind of person." Richard was exhausted and felt like he was a little different than when he left Wayrest months back.

"I guess. Maybe it would be easier if we split up."

"I will send a letter to you somehow if I find anything, I promise. Good luck, Sir Richard." It must have been important, since Torbin didn't stay for the pleasantries or a long good-bye, before leaving to go into Cyrodil again. There were a few ways to get into Skyrim, although the mountains made it far from possible to get in freely, so Torbin's personal matter might have been closer to another place. When Torbin was out of sight, Richard readjusted his baggage to make his first forays into the icy province of Nords.


	8. Chapter 6

Richard's head throbbed as he felt a breeze on him, although he wasn't moving himself. Creaking and murmuring were the only things he could hear, although the concept of him opening his eyes felt hard. Whatever happened to him, it wasn't gentle by any means.

"Hey, hey you!" Richard squeezed his eyes shut before opening them by a sliver. The sun was too bright for him to open them right away, the tiny section of his vision focusing. Slowly but surely, his eyes adjusted by little slivers until he had them about halfway open. His head pains were not getting any better through the process. He saw two people looking at him: Both Nords but entirely different in every other way.

The one to the left looked rather burly, his linen and chained blue layered chest showing the extent of his muscles. His leather and fur pants were unremarkable, only showing wear over time. His skin was tanned with a light red color alongside it. The color of his skin clashed with the bright blonde hair on the Nords head. It was unkempt, not all too surprising, and had braids in random places with the length reaching a little past his shoulders. His eyes were jumping from Richard to someone beside him, who he wasn't going to turn to look at yet, and the driver of the carriage, his expression only being one of anger.

The Nord to the right was much less muscular, having some muscle mass to be expected of the natural hardy race. His self was much less taken care in every regard. His skin was dirty and had dirt in places. His clothing looked to be completely ruined, only being enough to not be considered naked. It wasn't going to be protection from any weather or damage, except for days of high heat, which didn't happen in Skyrim. His brown hair was basically matted onto his head, no care given to the condition. He was definitely staring at Richard.

"Finally awake. Guards sure worked you over." It was the Nord on the right that was talking. He a raspy voice, not an impressionable voice meant for public speaking.

"I told those Imperial soldiers you weren't with us, but they just grabbed you like that thief over there. You stand with us or you stand against us. We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." It was the left Nord's time to speak, having a more traditional dialect and tone. The right Nord was a thief, which means the two had talked at some point or knew each other in some way.

"Shut up back there!" The driver, most likely an Imperial, was speaking to the two chatting behind him. Richard moved his head to the left to see what things looked like around him. The first thing that jumped at him was that a second cart, or rather the first of the two, had prisoners as well. It was impossible to tell anything about them from the distance. Richard had progressively opened his eyes the rest of the way at this point, letting him see more of what was around them. The scenery had the carts being surrounded by trees off the path to the front and a little turn showed a tall rock wall to his back.

"Wait, who's that gagged fellow in the cart? He looks familiar." Richard turned back to the thief to listen, following his gaze to see the man he was speaking of. There was indeed a gagged man and rather imposing sitting beside him. His look was leagues higher than the other two, donning a fine, fur cloak that covered his shoulders. The rest of his outfit was rather extensive with different designs on the chest and legs, but it could basically be boiled down to 'royal armor'. Whoever he was, he was special. Surprisingly, the rest of him was not as extravagant. He had a similar style to the unnamed Nord, the color being a lot darker but still blonde, and the two shared full, trimmed facial hair.

"Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." My head worked to figure out if the name meant anything, and it certainly did. Although it held no regard in High Rock, there was talk among the population about Ulfric Stormcloak and some kind of rebellion in Skyrim. There was no way that a man like that could be so plainly captured and being transported nonchalantly without a proper escort.

"That's the man who used the voice to murder High King Toryyg? The leader of the rebellion? Hey, you! Ulfric! You traitor! You're the reason we're here!" The thief was clearly angry, his voice rising despite the one he was speaking to being directly across from him a foot away. If it were possible, the thief would probably start a fight rather than just yell. That was currently impossible with the situation that he would be cut down before getting more than one hit out.

"At least Sovngarde will be waiting for us. Our ancestors. Feasting. Mead." The thief and Richard turned to the unnamed Nord, who was much more composed in this situation. Richard could feel his body getting restless, if only because he had absolutely no idea what was happening. The other three seemed to have some idea of what was happening and what led to this predicament.

"Gods, what I wouldn't give for some mead right now…" Richard couldn't get a word in with the two Nords seemingly either throwing words at each other or in their own verbal thoughts. The only one that I could probably speak to, who was gagged but still silent underneath it without a sound being made, was Ulfric. That man made him lean away, as when he looked at the well-dressed man, he was staring intently at Richard with unbroken eye contact. "What brings you into the cold grip of the Empire anyway? I know you're not one of the rebels." Richard was not listening, rather his attention completely stuck on why Ulfric was staring at him. The thief tapped Richard on the shoulder, breaking him from his trance.

"What?" It was the first word Richard said so far, his voice a little hoarse. It had been a little while since he had something to drink. He broke the stare he was meeting with Ulfric.

"What are you doing here? You aren't a rebel, I assume." Richard carefully chose his words, not wanting to divulge too much. He didn't have much to hide, as he wasn't some political spy or anything of the sort, but he didn't want to give anyone else information on who his friends were. He didn't know where Torbin went off to, as he and Richard split before they crossed into Skyrim onto different paths. On that thought, he turned his head to the other cart to notice that all ones bound in it were wearing the same clothing as the racially proud Nord. None matched Torbin's physique, either.

"I came here to look for someone very close to me. I don't know if they are here, but I simply planned on looking for them and move on." It was not a lie at all, only keeping the names out of his answer. In fact, the search went from finding Erica only to both Erica and Torbin.

"I see. Well, this probably didn't get to be part of the plan. Hopefully we can get out without any problems." It seemed to suffice for the curious thief. If he was trying to be a real thief, which was doubtful from his predicament, he had a lot to learn.

"What hold are you from, horse thief? Whiterun? The Reach? Haafingar?" Richard wasn't vey familiar with the province of Skyrim, only knowing the bulk of High Rock. These places were unfamiliar, except for Whiterun. He did know it as one of the most important cities in the province.

"Why do you care?" The contempt the thief had for everyone, but Richard was clear. He had venom in his voice when he spoke to either of the other Nords.

"Because there won't be any holds once the Empire has it's way. No Jarls to rule over them. Just Legion soldiers and martial law. Every man, woman and child in Skyrim is part of this rebellion, horse thief. Everyone has to fight for the freedom of the nine holds." Richard felt a twinge of disgust coming from him when the clear Nord Loyalist finished. He felt like the Nord was overreaching in his speech with who was part of this political fight. From Richard's experience, the only ones that cared and needed to when it came to problems regarding the province were the few highest in power and everyone else would rather live their lives. Richard disagreed with the outspoken Nords words.

"'Freedom of the nine holds'? I don't remember the Empire sweeping up every cutpurse in Skyrim before you bastards started butchering their soldiers." The cold seemed to be getting lighter, and it was obvious why.

"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" A male with a tone that fit someone who wasn't native to Skyrim spoke over the bumping of the wheels against the stone path. Both carts were heading to a town that had a stone wall and wooden gate topped by a covered walkway. This was…unusual to say the least. Richard's mine started going into overdrive on what he had to do to get out, as he knew what was happening. A headsman was only called when a specific event was being carried out: Execution.

"Good. Let's get this over with." Another unknown voice, probably the one that was being called Tullius, returned with confirmation. No voices that spoke other than the thief and loyalist could be put with a face so far.

"Look at him, General Tullius the Military Governer. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn Elves. I bet they had something to do with this." The still unnamed Nord turned his head to stare in the direction of the voices, two people a distance away but were much more important than the others. There was at least a human and he was mounted on a well-groomed horse. The other was a person equipped in a full set of Elven armor and the two stood side to side. From Richard's knowledge of present events and the information he and Torbin overheard while traveling made the situation clear. He couldn't see the other person very well, but a light voice confirmed his suspicion. The male was probably General Tullius and the other was a female Altmer. It was only when the cart got closer that he got any information on what the two were speaking of, as well as a first look at the two.

"I'm sorry, that's just not possible. It would cause far too many problems." General Tullius looked to be in much more durable armor than any other soldier, no doubt on the same level as what Ulfric was equipped with. He was balding on the top of his head, so he was no stranger to these kinds of situations with how old he probably was. His voice seemed a little low in volume as well, although it could be that he was purposely keeping it soft so that he didn't strain it. A commander did not want to lose his voice, no matter what. His eyes seemed glued on the moving carts, whether it was to keep the prisoners under more watch or to have an excuse to avert his gaze from the Altmer.

"You're making a terrible mistake. Your Emperor will hear of this! By the terms of the White-Gold Concordat, I operate with full Imperial Authority." The Altmer was speaking much more threateningly, her voice stern and unwavering. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to shake Tullius like she was probably hoping. She was, of course, the one equipped with a full set of armor of her race. It was to be assumed she was either an ambassador or a head of the Thalmor, although the latter seemed odd with it being out of the reach of Summerset Isle.

"Ugh, Thalmor bitch!" The outspoken Nord said it with no hesitation, even when they were close enough that hearing could reach Elf ears. His gaze softened from a glare to a wondering scan when they were passing by what Richard only now got to looking at.

"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe." This place, Helgen, didn't look to be anything like the places Richard had visited thus far. Before now, the smaller towns like this would be completely open and only utilize walls if it had significands. It did have a few tall, stone towers that were probably used for defense, although they seemed out of place with houses built along the main road that snaked through the center of the area. The houses looked competently built with solid wooden framing but seemed to have little resistance against the cold that chilled the air. The only thing that could be considered protection was the material that layered the top to keep snow and moisture off, most likely. It was possible that wherever they were, it was near the southern edge of the province. It wouldn't be unheard of for some races to utilize town space for territorial defenses. The natural décor was also lacking, sparse in most places save for a couple trees and berry bushes. It really did put off the image of a once peaceful settlement that got morphed to utilize military members.

"Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?" A voice came from behind Richard, who turned enough to see who was speaking. It was a boy, probably part of a family that lived here. His interest in what was about to happen, which Richard only knew now because of the fact he heard who was involved, was worrying.

"You need to go inside, little cub." The father had the right idea, getting him away. Still, the child was not wanting to go.

"Why? I want to watch the soldiers." It was a shred of relief that maybe he just aspired to be a soldier rather than something worse. It wasn't satisfying enough, though.

"Inside the house. Now." The cart was slowing as it turned the corner to prove what was thought before. This was an execution.

"Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" A commanding voice, female as well, threw out orders. She must have been the captain in charge of this monstrous event.

"Why are we stopping?" The thief was fidgeting in his seat, looking at what was around him as well. It was possible he had a thought to escape but was also expecting more time.

"Why do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." The cart came to a stop facing a wall and the outspoken Nord answered bluntly. He knew what was going to happen, and he either accepted it or had an idea of his own. Unfortunately, the thief was still ready to protest.

"No! Wait! We're not rebels! You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

"Face your death with some courage, thief." The thief was able to finish his statement despite the rebel speaking, if only because the thief was at a much louder volume to try and reason. Richard wanted to protest as well, as the thief was correct. It was clear the only ones in the cart that had any guilt with the current day problems were the outspoken Nord and Ulfric. Still, there wasn't any escape that could be done without getting killed instantly and the Imperials were not going to let anyone leave, no matter the argument. They were an impossible race to argue with or convince, even the merchants of High Rock didn't try to get much from them.

"Shut up! Out of the cart, now!" It was an order that couldn't be ignored and the four had started their final steps in their remaining life. Richard was still thinking through different ways to get out, although none of his training included being wrongly captured and evading after escaping. "Step towards the block when we call your name. Don't even think about running." It didn't need to be said and only gave more attention to the archers posed along the path, all having different angles of attack.

"Empire loves their damn lists." An exasperated sigh came from the rebel soldier, showing that it was possible he was finally accepting his fate. Doubtful but possible. This was when the polished looking Imperial, surprisingly not in any special outfit, started said list.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm. Guilty of murder, high treason and sentenced to death." Silently with the gag still over his mouth, Ulfric walked in front of the group to where the executioner was waiting. Richard had a chance to follow the man to see that there was a robed woman there as well. There was no discernable reason why she was present, unless it was for some kind of spiritual portion. As expected, more soldiers were ready and watching, as well as Tullius from before. The unnamed Altmer was gone, probably since she was denied whatever request she asked.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric!" The rebel valiantly spoke, hardly quiet and his eyes followed, and his stance solidified again. Whatever doubt or realization he had before was gone to the unshakable posture and attitude from before.

"Next in line." The Imperial listing asked for someone rather than speaking a name and instead of the horse thief, the rebel stepped forward. Only Ulfric was important enough to get his name spoken, apparently. "Name?"

"Ralof. Proud son of Skyrim." The rebel was finally given a name. The now labeled Ralof stepped towards where Ulfric was standing without glancing at any of the Imperials. Whether he gave the adjective 'proud' to himself or earned it, it was more than obvious and true. The other cart's group was thinning, although they were all much quitter and looked to be not much more than typical soldiers for this rebellion.

"Stormcloak. Sentenced to death." Expected that this was going to be everyone's decision, even Richard's.

"Next in line." The thief stepped up a little closer, although was stopped by the captain's hand moving to her blade. "Name?"

"Lokir and I'm not a Stormcloak." Richard still didn't know if that was entirely true or not, but it was about to be obvious personal choice made no difference.

"It says right here you are. Sorry."

"No, please! All I did was steal a horse! I'm NOT a rebel! You can't do this!" The thief, Lokir, did something Richard wasn't expecting him to so boldly do. He made a made dash beside the soldiers towards where the carts entered, still bound but sprinting.

"Archers!" By the captain's orders, the archers were more than ready and let an arrow fly from each. No matter how close or far away, the horse thief was shot deep by each projectile. His life ended and his body became a ragdoll, falling face first into the hard, stone path. "Anyone else feel like running?" It was less of a statement, more of a challenge. She wanted someone to try and escape for either amusement or less clean-up. Richard wanted to get out, but he had the choice of either a death now by arrow or soon by beheading.

"Next in line." Richard was the only one remaining from the cart. The other carts members were cleared out too, so he was the last one entirely. Richard took but a step, his face expression changing to a look of disgust. "Name?" Richard finally had to talk, although it wasn't to exchange pleasantries.

"Richard. You fools grabbed me when you shouldn't have in my travels from High Rock. I have no part in this provinces problems."

"You from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?" The assumption made by the low ranked soldier was far from his reason, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"No, neither of those are true. My reasons and origin are my own to know, not yours." At the very least, he would keep his friends from suffering a similar fate.

"Hmph. Captain, what should we do? He's not on the list." It was a surprise to see that the soldier cared, especially since he didn't care at all for the others. Then again, there might be some personal grudge. Richard knew nothing about these Imperials other than their race. That didn't give him any leeway with getting his compassion or respect, though.

"Forget the list. She goes to the block." This captain, on the other hand, absolutely infuriated Richard. She either was a deathly loyal Imperial, like Ralof from how he talked, or she had no idea how to be understanding in the slightest.

"By your orders, captain. We'll make sure your remains are returned to High Rock. Follow the captain, prisoner."

"No one is going to claim my dead body, Imperial." Richard had all eyes on him, more importantly the archers had their targets aimed on Richard. They were more than ready to draw an arrow at the first sign of retaliation.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be. Please go." Richard had no choice without any way of defending himself, taking his place in the crowd beside some unnamed soldiers, with Ulfric in front of General Tullius, still gagged, and Ralof close behind him.

"You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace." It was a bold speech to a person bound and gagged. To Richard, Tullius lost all his meaning in the speech. Nonetheless, some of the citizens who supported the Empire's decision cheered.

"This is barbaric. They can't think killing one guy will-" A very loud and sudden roar interrupted Richard's personal retaliation to the General. His own eyes, as well as a fair number of other others, immediately snapped to the sky after the roar. It was silent until then, nothing more than people playing with their dominance.

"What was that?" The Imperial who was reading names before questioned the ones around him for an answer, only to get shot down by the General.

"It's nothing. Carry on." It was obvious: This was not nothing. That sound came from something big, definitely not a typical wild animal. Even a Deadra would have trouble getting to that level. The point was driven home more as the archers had their bows drawn but were not pointing them. They had no vision on anything in the area, which means this was not something that was close. Its displeasure carried from where it was clearly to the Helgen.

"Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rites." The obedient Imperial did as was instructed, keeping the execution going forward even as his eyes were constantly scanning the area.

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved-" The robed woman began her speech, showing her only reason for being present. She was some kind of Priestess who was doing some spiritual process. She was cut off by a Stormcloak soldier walking forward to the chopping block. He was one that was in the other cart, so Richard had no idea who he was.

"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!"

"As you wish." The Priestess stepped back; her job being done with the forced interruption. The Stormcloak who was impatient was pushed by the Captain to his knees, where her foot pushed him the rest of the way until his neck was at the farther edge of the chopping block. A basket was below the soldier's head, its purpose clear as the day.

"Come on, I haven't got all morning. My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" It was seconds later the axe came down, detaching the soldiers head from his body. Blood shot from the wound, keeping the basket and the surrounding area of it anything but neat. Richard wasn't new to death, as he did kill something before, but this was entirely different. He killed a vampire out of defense and anger, and it didn't have a body left after to see. The sight of the beheaded soldier made him both double his efforts of escaping as well as come to the reality that this wasn't something he could just walk away from. The crowd had a mixed response, although the appropriate people were on their respective sides.

"Justice!"

"Death to the Stormcloaks!" Both were from different onlookers, as well as some people simply cheering. The opposite came from captives, of course.

"You Imperial bastards!"

"Monsters." It fell on deaf ears, especially since the ones that were protesting were the ones that would not have another day in their life. Helgen was a place that the Imperials had control of, and this practice was celebrated.

"Next, the Breton!" Richard's eyes were wide, and he took a step back. He had to get away, he had to find a chance to leave without being cut down before. He was formulating something, not really anything that could be considered a plan, when something familiar carried through the air. All eyes went skyward as a roar, the same one from before, was bellowed again from somewhere. Even the Captain this time looked to see if she could locate the monster that was causing the distraction.

"There it is again; did you hear that?" The Imperial with the list continued to scan, and it was too late that Richard realized he missed the last chance he had at escaping.

"I SAID, next prisoner." The Captain had already finished caring about the sound. She gave her attention back to the execution. Everyone had a little worry that lingered on their faces, but the Richard was motioned for to step up.

"To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." The Imperials couldn't be beaten by words and Richard had to accept his fate. He wasn't about to, but he didn't want to ruin what little chance he had before his last minute. With trepidation, Richard was pushed into the same position as the soldier before him. The head was still in the basket, surprisingly with a defiant look on the still face, and the body rested beside where Richard was kneeling.

'I need more time. I need more time!' Richard's head was spinning, and his eyes were darting for anything around him. The motions of his desperation stopped when something that not even the Gods could predict happened. A third roar came from somewhere, only this time it was evident what it was, and it was absolutely terrifying.

"What in Oblivion is that?!" A yell came from General Tullius and Richard could barely see something coming towards the little settlement. His eyes were stuck on its movements.

"Sentries! What do you see?" With Tullius making a fuss, the Captain finally put all her attention away from the execution and tried to get a grasp on the situation she had fervently ignored until now.

"It's in the clouds!" It was there but gaining quickly and would reach the settlement in seconds.

"Dragon!" It was a beast of legend, ones that were the closest things to Gods in a mortal's eyes. The beast had been the one making the roars and it had arrived with an entrance that would shake the nerves of anyone present. Richard had one of the best and most dangerous seats, being not but a dozen feet from the monster. If it wanted anyone dead, it would. Curiously, it was only imposing its dominance while the mortals below it scrambled in pure fear.

The legendary monster was truly imposing, more than anything that had been encountered by Richard yet. Even the vampire that he had slain before his quest started was nothing like this monster. It was easily bigger than just about any other animal, if it could even be in the same category as them and was nothing like what he had known about them before. The wingspan when it landed down made it obvious that not even the tower was even near enough for it to be comfortably perched, proved as it gripped to hold rather than just letting itself rest. He knew the ferocity and fright these beings instilled to any normal person. Its body was clearly made for flight in shape but had spikes protruding from its outer later that all had an ash black color. Even the inside of the mouth was considered black in some shade. The only exception was its piercing, red eyes that looked around its dining area, stopping on Richard multiple times. The dragon had hooks part of the way down the wings that let it easily grip on the tower, digging into the material that made up its outer surface with ease.

"By the Gods, a dragon! How?!" "A dragon? It's a dragon! Gods help us!" "It's the end times! The end times have come!" The citizens were far from organized, running to any kind of cover they could find. Some went into their homes while others went completely away from the settlement.

The dragon lifted its head and opened its maw. A wave of force exited into the air, dark and swirling clouds forming surprisingly low. It seemed more like smoke than any natural cloud formation. There were no visible rays of sunlight penetrating the smoke, forming something like a dome surrounding the settlement.

"Don't just stand there! Kill that thing! Guards, get the townspeople to safety and get the battlemages out here! Now!" General Tullius was showing his position, throwing out commands to the soldiers that were either frozen or scattering. Some followed the commands instantly, others had to regain their composure before starting to fight. Tullius was clearly the one in charge, as all the soldiers under him did end up starting to attack the beast. From the looks of things, though, the black scales and protruding spikes didn't let any weapons through at the start. It stayed where it was, opening its maw again.

"Fus-" Richard seen the wave leave the dragons mouth once again, as well as hearing a sound. It was the volume of a whisper to him, a small word from the dragon a moment before the attack came. In the next instant, Richard was pushed off the ground and away from the beast. The monster didn't aim the attack at him, just putting it above him in the general area. It was forceful enough to push Richard to the ground.

"Gah!" Richard didn't try to get back up, instead racking his brain to figure out what was happening and what was going to happen. He wasn't trained to fight a dragon, only other humanoids. No, this was far beyond anything he could handle.

"Hey, Breton. Get up! Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!" Richard was shaken from his stupor to see Ralof pulling at his curled body. He was unbound from his restraints with the assistant of a dead souls unused weapon.

"R-Right." Richard stepped up, pushing himself up the best he could to follow the rebel. The houses were already being destroyed, meteors coming from the clouded dome to hit whatever was in the area. Surprisingly, none of the towers looked to be in that bad of a shape due to their more durable material. Richard wasn't going to stay out to possibly be killed again, unsure how he escaped death of execution already.

Richard ended up inside a nearby tower with Ralof, Ulfric, and two Stormcloak soldiers. They must have been a couple of the ones being executed as well, since they carried no weapons. One was holding her stomach, a growing red stain on her chest piece while being barely cared for by another soldier that escaped execution. She got hit by something, maybe a careless sword or arrow. If the dragon or the storm hit her, she would be dead.

"Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof probably already knew the answer to his questions, looking to Ulfric for more confirmation than anything.

"Legends don't burn down villages." The dragon continued the rampage outside, its unwavering. It was doubtful anyone would be able to bring the beast down. It would have to be forced away, the chances of that being just as low as anyone damaging it. "We need to move. Now!"

"We can't risk going back out there through the way we came. Up through the tower, let's go." Ralof gestured for the stairs leading up the tower in a circular fashion. The odds of the soldiers having to move before they were in danger was low, as nothing was seeming to damage the structure fatally. On the second level of the tower, the three led by Ralof and ending with Ulfric, saw another soldier attempting to find another way out. Rocks had collapsed from the opening of the tower, blocking their only other exit.

"We just need to move some of these rocks to clear t-" The soldier clearing, as well as the trio's advance to help, was cut short by a hole being bashed into the side of the tower. A flash of black and then the large maw was seen barely any distance from the soldier ahead. Everybody stopped moving, giving the soldier no time to escape what happened next.

"Yol-" Once again, Richard heard a word definitely not spoken by a mortal he heard to date. It was louder but not in the sense of volume. It was louder in that he heard it all around him, as if the voice was coming from every direction. The maw of the dragon opened again after a second and a huge spout of fire came from its mouth and absolutely incinerated the soldier. There was absolutely no way he was going to survive, his charred corpse being the only thing remaining when the beast retreated back to do more damage outside.

The three continued their ascent as far as possible, taking huge caution in case the dragon came back for another round of cooking mortals. Richard looked to the corpse on the ground, it being unidentifiable. Whoever it was, they not only instantly die but the dragon also had enough heat to mostly melt the armor, scraps remaining clinging onto the body.

"Don't stop, Breton. We can't mourn for the dead until we are safe." Ralof moved past Richard, who had slowed down by the sudden intrusion of the dragon and the recent death of the Stormcloak. It took a moment for Richard to react as well, the burning landscape of the battlefield showing the abilities of a dragon. "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going! Go! We'll follow when we can!" Richard had no choice in the matter, especially with Ralof and Ulfric already most of the way down the steps again. He could follow, but that would be useless with the current situation. After all, jumping over a small gap was nothing like taking his chances with a dragon.

"Just get outside this place. I will be hidden until the beast is gone." Richard stepped a foot back, pushing off and getting what he could of a run and leap. He didn't have the best stance, hands still bound in the front, but he had more than enough to land a little more roughly on the partially demolished Inn he needed to get to. "Ugh!" Richard felt his foot hurt a little from the distance difference between the tower and the Inn, only stopping him for a couple seconds. The floor was, as expected, not completely intact anymore and led to the outside yet again. The scene was less than wanted: a more elderly man wearing Imperial armor was behind the remains of a house, a familiar list reading Imperial had his weapon unsheathed and looking at two more people, an injured citizen and a child.

"Haming, you need to get over here. Now!" The child was obviously not budging too much, that was until something terrifying changed the whole situation. Above the scene Richard was witnessing was the lowering body of the dragon. "Torolf!" The dragon slammed to the ground, looking over the scene from opposite Richard. The child was now frozen, the dragon staring at the form. The Imperial that was still standing reacted, pulling the child away quickly. When the two started off, the dragon pulled its neck back, but clearly not to leave. "Gods…everyone, get back!" The Imperial and child went behind the same building as the older man. Richard didn't wait to see what was going to happen, deciding to try and get a little bit out of attack. The injured man was left on the ground, curling up and resigning to his fate.

"Yol-" Richard heard the whisper again and a second later, the familiar sound and heat of a stream of fire hit the area. Most other sounds were drowned out during it, except for a couple rock clusters falling close by. The building did the job it needed, blocking the blast and decreasing a lot of the flame's heat. It was not until the flapping and ascent of the dragon was heard again that Richard peeked from his corner to look at what remained. The boy and the two men were still alive behind a collapsed building, better cover than one would expect in this situation, and the injured man was no more. He was a charred corpse like the Stormcloak soldier from earlier. Like the soldier, he took the full damage of the blast, flames and force.

"Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defense."

"Gods guide you, Hadvar." The older man, Gunnar, finally revealed the Imperial man who was reading the list.

"It's you and me, prisoner. Let's go, quickly!" Hadvar started moving away from the old man and the child. Richard wasn't sure if he should follow Hadvar, although the only other option was to stay put and be killed or possibly able to live with a distraction for the threat. With a moment of hesitation, Richard decided to move forward with the Imperial.

It wasn't long, less than a minute, the two made a right behind the houses that the beast showed up once again. If the road forward wasn't blocked by debris, it was possible they would be dead quickly. The dragon landed behind the wall Richard and Hadvar were moving besides, wing talons gripping the stone for support. The beast spouted fire to an unknown crowd, although it was no doubt that it hit one or more.

"Cut it." Richard spoke low to Hadvar, who did nothing. He looked at Richard, keeping his blade still until the dragon flew away again.

"I am not going to risk giving away our position just to possibly hurt it. It won't die from that. Don't think I am an idiot on strategies, Breton." Hadvar continued, Richard grimacing at the response. He hasn't fought a dragon before, he didn't know what it took. It was doubtful Hadvar did either, Richard assumed even now he was just afraid.

Out of the ruins of a house and in the open, battlemages and archers were throwing everything they could at the enemy. None seemed to be reaching, doubtful they would with the speed and defense of its body. It was not surprising to see that despite there being more soldiers in towers and other tactical points, it was rather bare now. Less than a dozen was trying to take the beast down and from what Richard observed, it had virtually no damage on it. The ruin it made was shown in almost every building and all across the environment.

"Ralof, you damned traitor. Out of my way!" Richard was too busy observing the battlefield to see that the two have reached a crossroad, or rather something similar with familiar people. Ralof and Hadvar carefully switched sides, putting a fair bit of distance between them at the same time while still ready to draw weapons on each other in a second.

"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time." The assumption was that Ralof was speaking of Richard as well.

"Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde." Hadvar left the way Ralof came from, probably to see if there was any assistance he could give to the offensive. Unfortunately, the dragon was still on the rampage and no help was going to help at this point. The soldiers left were thinning.

"Breton, come on. Into the keep." Richard kept his eyes in the air while going to the large, reinforced doors.

"Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki." A voice, with more of the sound of a deep verbal growl than human speech, came from the air inhumanly clearly. Richard stopped and looked upwards, only to see the dragon perched on the top of a barely standing tower, staring at him. The two locked eyes and Richard knew he felt something ominous and dangerous.

"Move, Breton! I'm not going to wait for you all day!" Richard snapped back to reality to see Ralof had the door to the keep ajar. Richard wasn't about to lose the chance he had gotten, vision going back to the dragon who had continued its massacre to finish off who remained in the fight.

"Of course."


End file.
